The  New 
Testament  Church 

Herbert  Moninger 


BS 

2530 

.M58 

1908 

RAINING  FOR   SERVICE   SERIES 

LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON,     N.    J. 

Presented  by 


BS  2530  .M58  1908 
Moninger,  Herbert.  1876- 
1911. 

The  New  Testament  church 


I 


THE 

New  Testament 
Church 

BY 

| 

HERBERT  "MONINGER 
A.  M.,  B.  D. 

Author  of   "Training    for  Service,"   "Who  They 

Are  and  What  We  Owe  Them,"  "Graded 

Supplemental  Booklets,"   "Bible 

Drills,"   "What's  the 

Answer?"  etc. 

FOR  ADVANCED  TEACHER-TRAINING 

CLASSES,  ADULT  BIBLE 

CLASSES,  ETC. 


ADDRF.SS    ALL    ORDERS    To 

THE  STANDARD  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

Cincinnati,  O. 

cvi'VHiuuTin.  l'.Kis.  i-v  tbe  sia'.kahu  fn.i.ism.ii.  coMrAMl, 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS 


PAGE. 

Preface 3 

i  ntkmductort  word 4 

I.  The  Books  of  the  Bible  and  Methods  for  Study- 

ing Them 5 

II.  The    Christ    of    the    New    Testament     Church 

According  to  Matthew 14 

III.  The    Christ    of    the    New    Testament    Church 

According  to  Mark 21 

IV.  The    Christ    of    the    New     Testament    Church 

According   to   Luke 29 

V.  The    Christ    of    the    New    Testament     Church 

According  to  John 37 

VI.  The    History    of   the    New   Testament    Chuuch. 

(A  study  of  the  Book  of  Acts  ) 43 

VII.  Review 55 

VIII.  The  New  Testament  Church  and  tii  :  Name...     56 

IX.  The  New  Testament  Church  and  the  Creed 60 

X.  The  New  Testament  (  urucii  and  Conversion....     64 
XI    The  New  Testament  Church  and  Baptism 69 

XII.  The  New  Testament  Church   and  the  Lord's 
Supper 77 

XIII.  The   New  Testament  Church   and  the    Holt 
Spirit 83 

XIV.  The    New   Testament  Church   and  Organiza- 
tion      89 

XV.  The  New  Testament  Chui.c-h  and  Finances 96 

XVI.  The  New  Testament  Church  and  Missions....   102 

XVII.  The  New  Testament  Church  and  Judument..  100 

XVIII.  The  New  Testament  Church   and  Christian 
Union 114 

XIX.  RhBTORATION  OF  the  New  Testament  Cm  BOH..   122 

XX.  Winning  Men  to  the  New  Testament  Church.  182 

XXI.  Rapid-firh  Drill  Questions 137 

XXII.  Answers  to  Rapid-fire  Drill  Questions 149 


PREFACE 


We  have  been  more  than  surprised  at  the  immediate  re- 
ception given  to  our  first  stanlard  teacher-training  book, 
called  "  Traiaing  for  Service."  As  many  of  those  who  have 
taken  a  part  or  all  of  this,  or  some  other  teacher-training 
course,  will  want  to  pursue  the  wjrk  further,  we  venture 
to  placi  before  the  Bible-school  world  another  book  which 
is  the  first  in  a  series  of  books  on  the  advanced  teacher-train- 
ing work. 

In  this  book  we  make  a  study  of  the  New  Testament 
church  from  various  standpoints.  It  is  a  plea  for  the  res- 
toration of  the  New  Testament  church,  in  name,  in  ordi- 
nances and  in  life.  Thinking  that,  perhaps,  there  will  be 
some  who  will  not  car.'  to  use  this  book  in  union  classes, 
we  have  prep  i  red  another  one  called  "Studies  in  the  Gos- 
pels and  Acts."  That  book  contains  the  first  seven  lessons 
that  are  found  i  i  this  book,  together  with  s.udies  on  the 
parables  and  miracles. 

We  have  followed  in  this  volume,  as  we  did  in  "Train- 
ing for  Service,"  the  plan  of  putting  drill  questions  and  an- 
swers in  the  back  of  the  book  for  concert  drill-work  and 
Bible-knowledge  contests.  These  questions  are  not  given 
to  save  study,  but  to  direct  it  and  make  it  more  definite. 

A  part  of  the  material  that  is  found  in  th  s  book  was 
originally  published  in  a  pamp  let  called  "Outline  Studies 
in  the  New  Testament  Church."  Claude  Percy  Leach 
rendered  valuable  assistance  in  the  prep  .ration  of  that 
pamphlet,  and  we  hereby  gratefully  acknowledge  his  help. 

As  this  book  goes  forth,  it  is  with  the  hope  that  it  may 
have  a  rich  and  helpful  ministry,  and  that  those  w  o  study 
its  contents  may  be  le  1  to  catch  a  larger  vision  of  Christ 
and  his  chure  i.  and  may  through  this  vision  be  inspired  to 
render  a  larger  and  richer  service  for  the  great  Teacher 
of  teachers.  h.  m. 


AN    INTRODUCTORY 
WORD 


As  the  first  standard  teacher-training-  book,  called 
"Training  for  Servic,"  has  been  received  with  a  most 
hearty  welcome  by  fully  one  hundred  thousand  Bible  stu- 
dents, we  are  encouraged  to  put  out  an  advanced  course 
that  shall  be  a  continuation  of  this  training-work.  The 
Advanced  Standard  Teacher-training  Course  is  to  cover 
two  years  and  to  be  made  up  of  one  hundred  lessons.  This 
book  contains  the  first  twenty  lessons  of  the  first  year's 
advanced  course. 

In  this  first  year's  work  there  are  tbrce  books,  which 
total  the  fifty  required   lessons: 

The  New  Testament  Church  (this  book) 20  lessons. 

Old  Testament  History,  by  C.  S.  Medbury. ...  20  lessons. 
A  Bible-school  Vision,  by  P.  H.  Welshimer. ...  10  lessons. 

The  second  year's  work  has  not  as  yet  been  completed, 
but  it  will  be  ready  by  the  time  any  have  completed  the 
first  year's  course. 

All  persons  who  have  taken,  or  are  taking,  the  first  stand- 
ard teacher-training  course  should  take  up  this  advanced 
work.  As  soon  as  you  have  organized  your  class,  enroll 
with  your  State  or  Provincial  association.  If  you  do  not 
know  the  name  of  the  general  secretary  of  the  Sunday- 
school  work  of  your  State  or  Province,  write  to  the 
teacher-training  department  of  the  International  Sunday- 
school  Association,  Room  806,  Hartford  Bldg.,  Chicago,  111. 
An  examination  is  given  upon  the  completion  of  each  book, 
and  when  tin-  entire  one  hundred  lessons  are  completed, 
an  advanced  standard  teacher-training  diploma  will  be 
granted  Both  the  examination  questions  and  the  diplomas 
are  sent  out  from  the  general  secretary  of  the  Sunday- 
school  work  in  your  State. 


THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  CHURCH 


LESSON    I. 

The  Books  of  the  Bible,  and  Methods 
for  Studying  Them 

I.   THE   OLD  TESTAMENT  BOOKS 

1.  The  Meaning  of  the  Word. — The  word  "testa- 
ment"' means  will  or  covenant.  Testamentum  is  the 
Latin  word. 

2.  The  Purpose. — The  old  Testament  is 

( 1 )  A  book  of  history. 

(2)  It  shows  how  God  dealt  with  men  in  olden 
times. 

( 3 )  It  shows  how  God  chose  a  people  through 
whom  he  might  teach  the  worship  of  the  one  God, 
and  through  whom,  in  the  fullness  of  time,  he  might 
send   his    Son   to    redeem   the   world. 

But  when  the  fulness  of  time  came,  God  sent  forth  his 
Son,  born  of  a  woman,  born  under  the  law.  that  he  might 
redeem  them  that  were  under  the  law.  that  we  might  re- 
ceive the  adoption  of  sons   (Gal.  4:4,   .">>. 

(4)  It   is  the  prophetic  photograph  of  Christ. 

(5)  It  is  the  schoolmaster  that  brings  us  to  Christ. 

So  that  the  law  is  become  our  tutor  to  bring  us  unto 
Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith  (Gal.  3:24). 

6 


G  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH. 

'A.  The   Divisions. — 

(1)  11  i.st  oru  <ii  Books.  The  first  seventeen  books 
are  historical.  They  are  generally  subdivided  into 
early  and  later  history,  or  into  the  Pentateuch  and 
books  of  History. 

The  three  names  given  for  the  first  five  books  of 
the  Old  Testament  are  Lun\  Pentateuch,  Early  His- 
tory. They  are  called  the  Law  because  they  contain 
the  law  as  given  at  Mount  Sinai.  They  are  called 
the  Pentateuch,  as  that  is  the  Greek  word  meaning 
fivefold  book.  They  are  called  Early  History  in  con- 
trast with  the  later  history  that  begins  with  Joshua. 

(2)  Devotional  Books.  After  the  books  of  His- 
tory, we  have  five  books  of  Devotion,  which  have 
generally  been  called  poetical  books.  These  are  Job, 
Psalms,  Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes  and  Song  of  Solomon. 

(3)  Prophetical  Books.  The  last  seventeen  books 
of  the  Old  Testament  are  prophetical.  These  books 
are  subdivided  into  Major  Prophets  and  Minor  Proph- 
ets. There  are  five  books  of  the  former  and  twelve 
of  the  latter.  These  books  of  prophecy  supplement 
the  historical  books. 

II.   THE   NEW   TESTAMENT   BOOKS 

The  New  Testament  books  cover  the  history  of  the 
first  century  following  the  birth  of  Christ.  These 
books  are  divided  into  five  sections. 

1.  The  Gospels. — The  four  Gospels  were  written 
to  prove  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and 
our  Saviour. 

But  these  are  written  that  ye  may  believe  that  Jesus  is 
tin'  chrlsi.  the  Son  hi  liml:  and  that  believing  ye  may 
have  life  in  his  name   t.luhn  L'O  :.'{!). 


THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    BIBLE  7 

The  Gospels  were  written  by  those  whose  names 
they  bear.     Matthew  and  John  were  apostles. 

2.  The  Acts.— The  Book  of  Acts  tells  of  the  foun- 
dation of  the  church  and  how  we  are  to  become  Chris- 
tians. This  book  was  written  by  Luke,  a  close  com- 
panion of  Paul. 

3.  The  Special  and  General  Letters. — The  Special 
and  General  Letters  tell  the  people  of  all  times  how 
to  live  as  Christians. 

(1)  The  Special  Letters  are:  Romans,  1  Corin- 
thians, 2  Corinthians,  Galatians,  Ephesians,  Philip- 
pians,  Colossians,  1  Thessalonians,  2  Thessalonians, 
1  Timothy,  2  Timothy,  Titus,  Philemon,  Hebrews, 
These  were  written  (except  Hebrews)  by  the  apostle 
Paul.  The  authorship  of  the  Book  of  Hebrews  is 
uncertain.  It  is  placed  among  the  Pauline  letters 
because  it  is  Pauline  in  teaching. 

(2)  The  General  Letters  are:  James,  1  Peter,  2 
Peter,  1  John,  2  John,  3  John,  Jude.  These  letters 
were  written  by  those  whose  names  they  bear. 

Note. — Second  and  Third  John  are  classed  under 
the  "General"  Letters,  although  they  were  written  to 
individual  Christians.  Hebrews  is  also  classed  by 
some  under  the  General  Letters. 

4.  Prophecy. —  (1)  Revelation.  The  Book  of  Reve- 
lation tells  of  the  future  and  the  final  triumph  of 
the  right.  This  book  was  written  by  the  apostle 
John.     It  is  called  the  Apocalypse. 

III.   METHODS   OF    BIBLE   STUDY 

The  Bible  is  like  the  rich  soil  in  the  plains  of 
Palestine,  which  yielded  abundant  harvests.,  notwith- 


8  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

standing  the  crude  stick  plows  with  which  the  Ori- 
ental farmer  merely  scratched  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  The  Scriptures  will  give  up  a  wealth  of 
helpfulness  to  the  honest  student,  whatever  may  be 
hir.  method.  And  yet  one  should  not  be  satisfied 
with  a  spiritual  yield  which  merely  keeps  one  from 
starvation,  when  better  methods  might  bring  richer 
harvests  for  himself,  and  also  to  dispense  to  others 
for  their  growth  (The  Sunday-school  Teacher's 
Bible). 

Among  the  methods  of  Bible  study,  we  call  atten- 
tion here  to  five,  each  of  which,  while  it  has  its  ad- 
vantages, is  not  sufficient  in  itself  for  the  making  of 
a  thorough  Bible  student.  All  of  these  methods 
should  be  more  or  less  applied  by  each  reader. 

1.  Study  the  Bible  as  a  Whole. — Read  a  whole 
book  of  the  Bible  at  a  sitting.  Many  of  the  books 
of  the  Bible  may  be  easily  read  in  an  hour  or  two. 
It  is  not  so  much  the  question  as  to  how  rapidly  you 
read  it  if  you  read  it  thoroughly.  Strange  to  say, 
this  is  one  of  the  last  things  that  many  Christians 
are  willing  to  do.  They  will  read  many  books  about 
the  Bible,  but  to  read  the  Bible  itself  they  do  not 
do.  We  would  not  think  of  treating  any  other  book 
in  this  manner.  We  are  living  in  a  time  when  we 
feel  it  an  obligation  to  be  acquainted  with  the  best 
authors.  Shall  we  say  that  Shakespeare  or  Emerson, 
or  any  other  great  writer,  is  able  to  interest  us  in 
what  he  has  written,  when  the  Author  of  all  life 
is  unable  to  do  so?  Certainly  we  are  not  prepared 
to  say  that  God,  through  holy  men,  can  not  write 
a  book   as  capable  of  holding  our  attention  and  as 


THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    BIBLE  9 

fascinatingly  interesting  as  any  book  that  man  has 
written  unaided. 

Dr.  James  M.  Gray,  of  the  Moody  Bible  Institute, 
tells  this  story,  which  is  to  the  point  here: 

"I  know  a  lady  who  once  traveled  a  long  dis- 
tance on  a  railroad  with  her  trunk  unlocked,  and 
when  she  met  her  husband  at  the  terminus,  and  re 
ported  the  circumstance,  there  was  naturally  some 
emotion  in  her  speech.  She  had  been  unable  to  find 
the  key  anywhere,  she  said,  and  only  discovered  its 
loss  at  too  late  a  moment  to  have  another  fitted  be- 
fore she  started  upon  her  journey.  And  the  trunk, 
with  all  its  treasures,  had  come  that  whole  distance 
with  only  a  strap  around  it.  'Why,'  exclaimed  her 
husband,  'do  you  not  recall  that  when  we  come  home 
from  a  journey  I  always  fasten  the  key  of  the  trunk 
to  one  of  its  handles?  There's  your  key,'  pointing 
to  the  end  of  the  trunk." 

The  incident  is  recalled  by  the  so  frequent  inquiry 
one  hears  for  a  "key"  to  the  Bible.  Its  Author  has 
provided  one,  and  to  the  average  person,  at  least  in 
this  enlightened  country,  it  is  always  at  hand.  Read 
the  Book. 

2.  Study  the  Bible  by  Books. — Take  one  book  at 
a  time,  and  read  it  over  and  over  again  with  dif- 
ferent points  of  view  in  mind.  In  order  to  really 
master  a  book,  it  should  be  read  several  times  rather 
than  laying  it  aside  and  passing  on  to  a  second  book. 
A  visitor  to  our  Capital  City,  in  looking  down  from 
the  top  of  Washington  monument  on  a  foggy  morn- 
ing, corld  scarcely  believe  there  was  a  city  below. 
Later,    however,    when    the    sun    rises    anl    the    fog 


10  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

begins  to  disappear,  there  appears  at  first  the  tops 
of  some  of  the  highest  buildings  and  the  steeples 
of  the  churches;  then  the  outline  of  the  streets,  then 
the  factories  and  stores,  and  thousands  of  trees  and 
the  beautiful  parks,  stand  out  in  beauty.  It  is  much 
the  same  way  in  making  an  inductive  study  of 
the  Bible.  The  first  view,  while  helpful,  is  not  com- 
pletely satisfactory.  By  looking  and  re-looking,  how- 
ever, new  thoughts  appear,  and  the  whole  book  pre- 
sents a  new  and  richer  meaning. 

This  method  is  briefly  illustrated  in  the  follow- 
ing example: 

"The  Book  of  Ruth  has  been  chosen  for  study. 
Let  it  be  read  in  its  entirety,  first  for  the  simple 
and  beautiful  story  which  it  tells.  Then,  a  more 
careful  study  of  its  features  will  disclose  that  it  is 
a  most  engaging  idyllic  prose  poem;  parts  of  it  ris- 
ing to  the  heights  of  pure  Hebrew  poetry,  with  its 
balancing  of  line  against  line  in  complete  parallel- 
ism. Romance  follows  tragedy.  The  struggle  to 
'keep  the  wolf  from  the  door'  in  days  of  famine; 
love,  marriage,  death,  widowhood,  follow  in  rapid 
succession.  Embers  of  a  latent  patriotism  and  relig- 
ious fealty  burn  bright  again:  motherly  solicitude 
and  filial  piety  shine  forth  as  if  to  vie  with  each 
in  brilliant  loyalty.  A  maidenlike  coyness  and  a 
maternal  intrigue;  a  love  at  first  sight  and  a  happy, 
fruitful  marriage  all  these  go  into  the  making  of 
this  divinely  inspired   pastoral. 

"Read  :\°rain  and  carefully,  study  the  historical 
setting  oi  the  book.  Find  its  niche  in  the  life  of 
God's  chosen  people.     It  was  'in  the  days  when  the 


THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    BIBLE  11 

judges  ruled.'  See  Moab,  destined  to  play  no  unim- 
portant part  in  later  history;  and  the  famine,  which, 
not  uncommon,  again  and  again  played  a  providential 
role  in  the  shaping  of  human  destinies;  the  inter- 
marriage with  heathen  people,  not  so  strictly  under 
the  ban  as  at  a  later  period;  Oriental  customs  and 
Hebrew  laws  of  the  harvest;  laws  of  consanguinity 
and  inheritance;  the  levirate  marriage;  the  custom 
of  the  'loosed  shoe;'  Ruth  an  ancestress  of  David  and 
so  of  the  Messiah." 

3.  Study  the  Bible  Biographically. — Even  the  cas- 
ual reader  of  the  Bible  will  find  that  most  of  the 
truths  it  contains  are  impersonated  in  some  life. 
The  events  of  the  Old  Testament,  as  well  as  those 
of  the  New,  may  be  grouped  around  certain  per- 
sonalities. In  our  <first  Standard  teacher-training 
book,  entitled  "Training  for  Service,"  we  have  en 
deavored,  in  Chapters  VI.  and  VII.,  to  group  all  of 
the  Old  Testament  history  around  sixteen  major  and 
forty-eight  minor  characters.  The  Gospels  are  hinged 
around  the  Master's  life.  The  events  of  the  Book 
of  Acts  may  be  grouped  around  three  men,  Peter, 
Philip  and  Paul.  This  method  of  study  not  only 
makes  the  Bible'  more  interesting,  but  makes  its 
facts  and  truths  more  easily  remembered. 

4.  Study  the  Bible  According  to  Institutions  of 
Worship  and  Service. — There  have  been  five  insti- 
tutions of  worship  sinee  the  beginning  of  history. 
These  are  altar,  tabernacle,  temple,  synagogue  and 
church.  To  follow  the  origin,  the  plan,  purpose  and 
practice  of  each  of  these  institutions  will  not  only 
show  how  the  Lord  has  been  and  is  worshiped,  but 


12  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

will  reveal  how  to  some  extent  each  institution  of 
worship  is  a  fulfillment  of  the  preceding  ones.  The 
studies  that  are  to  follow  in  this  book  are  largely 
those  that  have  to  do  with  the  church. 

This  plan  of  studying  the  Bible  through  institu- 
tions of  worship  includes  to  some  extent  another 
plan  of  Bible  study  that  may  be  called  the  Topical 
Method.  For  example,  one  may  wish  to  know  the 
teachings  of  the  Bible  on  the  subject  of  the  "Atone- 
ment." This  subject  naturally  includes  the  discus- 
sion of  the  institutions  of  -worship  and  service.  An- 
other subject  would  be  that  universal  question,  "How 
may  one  be  saved?" 

r>.  study  the  Bible  DevotionaQy. — All  proper  meth- 
ods of  Bible  study  help  the  devotional  life.  As  some 
studies,  however,  have  for  them  a  more  intellectual 
purpose,  we  should  from  time  to  time  study  the  Bible 
with  the  spiritual  pre-eminently  in  mind.  In  this 
study  one  meditates  upon  certain  passages,  not  only 
until  he  gets  hold  of  them,  but  until  they  get  hold 
of  him.  He  studies  them  and  yields  himself  to  them 
until  he  "knows  them  by  heart."  In  such  a  method 
of  studying  the  Word  one  hears  the  still  small  voice, 
and  the  soul  hunger  is  satisfied  by  spiritual  manna. 
After  one  has  followed  this  method  of  study  awhile, 
he  can  understand  the  exclamation  of  the  Psalmist: 

•■(  Hi  how  I  love  thy  law  : 

ii  i-  my  meditation  all  the  day." 

SOME   REFERENCE   BOOKS 

First  Principles,  by  M.  .M.  Dayis,  Chapter  III.; 
How  to  Master  the  English  Bible,  by  James  M.  Gray; 


THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    BIBLE  18 

A  Guide  to  Bible  Study,  by  J.  W.  McGarvey;  Help- 
ful Bible  Readings,  by  A.  B.  Moore;  Bible  Study 
Popularized,  by  Frank  T.  Lee. 

TOPICS   FOR  CLASS  DISCUSSION 

1.  The  meaning  of  the  word  "testament." 

2.  The  relation  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 

3.  The  three  names  of  the  first  five  books  of  the 
Old   Testament. 

4.  The   joint   purpose   of   the    four    Gospels. 

5.  The  purpose  of  the  Book  of  Acts. 

6.  The  purpose  of  the  Special  and  General  Letters. 

7.  The  purpose  of  the  Book   of  Revelation. 

8.  If  a  person  did  not  believe  in  Christ,  to  which 
books  of  the  Bible  would  you  refer  him?     Why? 

9.  If  a  person  already  believed  in  the  divjnity  of 
Christ,  to  which  book  would  you  refer  him  that  he 
might  know  how  to  become  a  Christian?     Why? 

10.  Plans  that  will  aid  in  mastering  the  English 
Bible. 

11.  Some  guides  to  Bible  study. 

12.  The  value  of  a  concordance  in  Bible  study. 
(The  person  who  is  assigned  this  topic  should  bring 
with  him  a  good  concordance,  such  as  Young's, 
Walker's  or  Cruden's.) 

13.  The  value  of  a  Bible  Dictionary  in  Bible  study. 
(The  person  to  whom  this  subject  is  assigned  should 
show  the  class  some  good  Bible  dictionary.) 

14.  The  value  of  a  good  reference  Bible.  (The 
person  discussing  this  subject  should  ^ave  in  his 
hand  a  good  reference  Bible  and  tell  how  to  use 
the  references.) 


14 


THE    A/vU     TESTAMENT    CHURCH 


RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 

Use  Questions   1-12   inclusive,   in   the   back   of  this 
book. 

BLACKBOARD    OUTLINE 


I.    O.  T.  BOOKS. 

1.  Mea.  of  Wd. 

2.  Purpose. 

3.  Divisions. 
(1)  Historical. 


I.     N.  T.  HOOKS. 

1.  The  Gospels. 

2.  Acts. 

:!.  Spec,  and  Gen. 
Letters. 


(2)  Devotional.     4.  Prophecy. 
[3/  Prophetic. 


III.     METHODS  OF 
BIBLE  STUDY. 

1.  As  a  whole. 

2.  By  books. 

:!.  Biographically. 

4.  By  institutions. 

5.  Devotional. 


LESSON  II. 

The    Christ   of    the    New   Testament 
Church  According   to    Matthew 

I.   THE    AUTHOR 

The  Gospel  which  bears  the  name  of  Matthew  was 
written   by  the  apostle. 

J.  His  Name. — Matthew  is  the  same  as  Levi  (Luke 
5:  27-29),  the  son  of  Alpheus.  He  is  not  to  be  con- 
fused with  Matthias,  who  was  chosen  to  take  the 
place  of  Judas. 

2.  His  Occupation. — Matthew  was  a  tax-gatherer 
at  Capernaum.  His  special  duty  was  likely  to  collect 
tolls  from  the  fishers  on  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  and  per- 
haps from  merchants  traveling  southward  from  Da- 
mascus. His  duties  as  a  tax-gatherer  would  bring 
him  into  disrepute  with  his  countrymen,  who  disliked 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    MATTHEW         15 

all    agents    of    the    foreign    despotism    under    whicn 
they  groaned. 

3.  His  Character. — Matthew,  because  of  his  posi- 
tion, was  likely  a  man  of  means.  He  was  a  modest 
man  and  kept  himself  well  in  the  background.  Being 
a  man  of  means,  it  meant  a  great  deal  for  him  to 
forsake  all  to  follow   Jesus. 

4.  His  Call. — Matthew's  call  to  be  an  apostle  is 
related  by  Matthew,  Mark  and  Luke  in  practically 
the  same  words  (Matt.  9:9;  Mark  2:  14;  Luke  5:  27). 
One  day  Jesus  was  coming  up  from  the  Lake  of  Gal- 
ilee and  passed  near  the  custom-house  where  Mat- 
thew was  seated  in  Oriental  fashion,  and  he  said 
unto  him,  "Follow  me."  Matthew  arose  and  followed 
Christ. 

5.  His  Position  Among'  the  Twelve. — Matthew 
does  not  shine  out  in  his  work  as  do  Peter,  James 
and  John.  He,  however,  was  a  most  faithful  apos- 
tle, and,  according  to  tradition,  died  the  death  of 
a  martyr. 

6.  The  Date  of  His  Gospel. — Because  of  the  use 
of  such  expressions  as  "holy  city,"  "holy  place,"  "the 
city  of  the  great  king"  (4:  5;  5:  35;  24:  15;  27:  53), 
and  from  the  nature  of  the  language  used  by  our 
Saviour  in  his  prediction  of  the  city's  coming  doom, 
Dr.  J.  A.  McClymont  holds  that  Matthew's  Gospel 
was  written  before  66  A.  D.,  when  the  war  which 
was  to  issue  in  the  destruction  of  the  Jewish  capital 
was  on  the  eve  of  breaking  out.  McGarvey  holds 
that  it  was  not  written  before  60  A.  D.,  and  was 
probably  written  about  67  A.  D. 


10  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

II.    CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE   GOSPEL 

1.  Language  <>f  the  Gospel. — According  to  Origea, 
Eusebius,  Jerome  and  many  cithers,  Matthew's  Gospel 
was  written  in  Hebrew  i  i.  >  ..  Aramaic,  the  vernac- 
ular language  of  Palestine!.  It  was  afterwards  trans- 
lated into  Greek.  Irenaeus  says,  '.Matthew  among 
the  Hebrews  brought  out  a  writing  of  the  Gospel 
in  their  own  tongue."  Eusebius  in  the  beginning 
of  the  fourth  century  says  that  Matthew  wrote  it 
when  he  was  about  to  leave  the  Jewrs  and  preach 
also  to  other  nations  in  order  to  "fill  up  the  void 
about  to  be  made  in  his  absence."  If  it  be  true  that 
Matthew  wrote  his  Gospel  in  Aramaic,  it  very  soon 
also  appeared  in  Greek.  Whether  Matthew  wrote  the 
Gospel  over  again  in  Greek,  or  whether  some  other 
person  translated  it,  is  a  question  we  can  not  answer. 

2.  Written  for  the  Jews. — Matthew  'introduces 
Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  or  the  Christ.  His  main  pur- 
pose was  to  set  forth  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus  rather 
than  his  divinity.  The  first  verse  of  the  book  opens 
with  the  words,  "The  book  of  the  generation  of  Jesus 
Christ,  the  son  of  David,  the  son  of  Abraham."  By 
this  Matthew  designates  Christ  as  the  promised  seed 
of  David,  who  was  to  sit  on  David's  throne  and 
reign  forever,  and  he  also  keeps  in  mind  the  prom- 
ise to  Abraham  of  a  seed  in  whom  all  the  nations 
of  the  world  were  to  be  blessed.  "\'o  one  can  read 
Matthew's  Gospel  without  perceiving  that  he  was 
no  Hellenist,  but  a  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews,  deeply 
learned  in  the  history  and  prophecies  of  his  race, 
and    eagerly    looking    forward    to    their    realization. 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    MATTHEW         17 

When  the  plan  and  teaching  of  Jesus  were  unfolded 
to  his  mind  stored  with  national  memories,  he  in- 
stantly recognized  the  truth  and  beauty  and  com- 
pleteness of  that  ideal,  and  gave  himself  up  heart 
and  soul  to  the  cause  of  the  son  of  David.  For 
that  cause  and  for  the  kingdom  of  God  he  resigned 
all  his  hopes  of  advancement  in  Herod's  kingdom, 
his  lucrative  calling,  and  the  friends  he  had  made." 
— Cambridge  Bible.  This  gives  one  explanation  of 
Matthew's  intense  desire  to  present  Jesus  as  the 
Messiah  of  the  Jews. 

The  following  points  gathered  by  Dr.  A.  Carr  indi- 
cate that  Matthew's  Gospel  had  special  reference  to 
the  Jews,  and  that  he  represented  Jesus  as  the  Mes- 
sianic hope  realized. 

(1)  The   appeals  to  history   as  fulfilled  in  Christ. 

(2)  The  rare  explanation  of  Jewish  words  and  cus- 
toms. 

(3)  The  strong  and  special  denunciation  of  the 
Jews  and  of  their  rulers. 

(4)  The  special  reference  to  the  Law  in  the  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount. 

(5)  The  genealogy  traced  from  Abraham  and 
David. 

(G)   The  mission  of  the  Seventy  omitted. 

(7)  The  absence  of  Latin  words,  with  very  few 
exceptions. 

(8)  The  prominence  given  to  the  Jewish  thought 
of  a  kingdom  or  heaven:  in)  in  the  general  scope 
of  the  Gospel;  {b)  in  the  parables;  (c)  in  the  ac- 
count  of  the  Passion. 

3.  Filled  with  Old  Testament  Quotations. — In  th9 


18  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

course  of  Matthew's  Gospel  there  are  no  less  than 
sixty  quotations  from  the  Old  Testament  prophecy 
as  fulfilled  in  Jesus.  Since  Matthew's  aim  is  to 
show  that  [Jesus  is  the  fulfillment  of  Messianic  hopes, 
we  would  naturally  expect  just  this.  The  designa- 
tion "son  <>!  David"  occurs  seven  times  as  applied 
to  Jesus. 

4.  Matthew  Represents  Christ  as  the  Teacher  of 
Teachers. — The  best  book  on  pedagogy  that  has  been 
written  is  the  Gospel  of  Matthew.  Matthew  seeks 
the  "point  of  contact"  with  the  Jews  by  beginning 
his  Gospel  in  writing  t  lie  genealogy  of  Christ  from 
Abraham  to  his  birth  in  Bethlehem.  He  shows  how 
Christ  complimented  his  hearers  before  he  corrected 
them  (Matt.  5:  17).  In  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount, 
given  in  more  or  less  detail  by  Matthew,  he  repre- 
sents Jesus  as  speaking  as  "never  a  man  spake." 
When  we  want  abstract  teaching,  we  turn  to  Matt. 
5:  3-12.  When  we  want  good  illustrations,  we  turn 
to  Matt.  5:  13-16.  When  we  want  to  know  how  to  use 
parables  in  teaching,  we  read  Matt.  13:  1-53.  There 
is  scarcely  a  principle  in  teaching  but  what  is  used 
in  some  striking  way  in  the  Gospel  of  Matthew. 

In  the  six  principles  of  teaching  given  below,  see 
how  they  are  illustrated  by  the  Scripture  cited. 

(1)  Put  the  new  in  an   old  netting.     Matt.  1:  1-23. 

(2)  Use  words  that  are  understood  by  the  teacher 
and  the  scholar  in  the  same  sense.  Matt.  5:  12,  40,  41. 

(3)  Adapt  the  teaching  to  the  needs  of  the  scholars. 
Matt.  13:  3-9,  18-30. 

(4)  Secure  co-operation.     Matt.  10:  13-19. 

(5)  The    development    of    the    subject    must    con- 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    MATTHEW        19 

stantly  present  new  points  of  interest.     See  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  (Matt.  5,  6,  7). 

(6)  Ideas  must  be  repeated  to  be  retained.  Matt. 
1G:  21;    17:  23;    20:  17-19;    2G:  2. 

5.  Matthew  Emphasizes  the  Words  of  Jesus. — In 
comparing  Matthew  and  Mark,  we  often  see  that 
Mark  emphasizes  the  works  of  Jesus,  while  Matthew 
pays  especial  attention  to  his  words.  This  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  Mark  lays  emphasis  upon  the  mira- 
cles and  Matthew  upon  the  parables.  The  fact  that 
Matthew  lays  emphasis  upon  the  words  of  Jesus  is 
also  seen  by  his  faithful  account  of  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  and  from  the  fact  that  considerably  more 
than  half  his  book  is  taken  up  with  Christ's  formal 
speeches,  aside  from  many  remarks  made  in  con- 
versation with  friends  and  foes. 

6.  Matthew  Emphasizes  the  Judgment. — There  is 
an  element  of  "sternness  and  severity"  to  Matthew's 
Gospel  that  does  not  appear  elsewhere  in  the  recorded 
teachings  of  Christ.  Matthew  alone  records  the  par- 
ables of  the  judgment;  i.  e.,  the  tares,  the  dragnet, 
the  ten  virgins,  the  talents  and  the  rejection  of  the 
goats.  Matthew  also  records  the  denunciation  of  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees  (23:  13-36).  For  the  material 
given  only  by  Matthew,  see  the  Harmony  of  Christ's 
life    found  elsewhere  in  this  book. 

7.  Matthew's  Gospel  Naturally  Divides  Itself. — 
In  4:  17  he  says,  "From  that  time  began  Jesus  to 
preach;"  and  in  16:  21,  "From  that  time  began  Jesus 
to  show  unto  his  disciples,  that  he  must  go  unto 
Jerusalem,  and  suffer  many  things  from  the  elders 
and  chief  priests  and  scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  the 


20  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

third  day  be  raised  up."  Thus  we  see  that  Matthew 
has  himself  marked  the  natural  divisions  of  the 
book.     The  threefold  division,  then,  is: 

(1)  Genealogy  of  Christ.    Matt.  1:  1-4:  16. 

(2)  Christ's   Active  Ministry.      Matt.    4:  17-16:  20. 

(3)  The  Closing  Events  of  Christ's  Life.  Matt.  16: 
21-28:  20. 

While  the  last  division  occupies  scarcely  more  than 
six  months  of  the  three  years  and  more  of  his  min- 
istry, yet  the  events  of  this  period  take  nearly  one- 
half  of  the  book,  showing  the  importance  attached 
by  Matthew  to  the  scenes  connected  with  the  final 
suffering,  the  death,  and  the  resurrection  of  the 
Christ.  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  the  contrast  between 
4:  17  and  16:  21  is  most  significant.  The  former  is 
preceded  by  the  baptism  of  Christ  when  from  heaven 
a  voice  said,  "This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am 
well  pleased"  (Matt.  3:  17),  and  the  latter  is  im- 
mediately followed  by  the  transfiguration  when  the 
heavenly  voice  said,  "This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in 
whom  I  am  well  pleased;  hear  ye  him"  (Matt.  17:  5;. 

TOPICS  FOR  HOME  STUDY  AND  CLASS 
DISCUSSION 

1.  How  many  times  and  under  what  circumstances 
is  the  apostle  Matthew  mentioned? 

2.  Discuss  the  position  of  tax-gatherer  and  what 
the  community  thought  of  one  in  such  a  business. 

3.  Give  an  outline  of  the  Gospel  according  to  Mat- 
thew. 

4.  Why  dries  .Matthew  give  such  a  long  genealogy 
in  the  first  chapter? 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    MATTHEW         21 

5.  Why  does  Matthew  give  such  a  long  account  of 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount? 

6.  What  parables  does  Matthew  give  that  are  not 
given  by  any  other  Gospel  writer? 

7.  Name   five   characteristics   of  Matthew's  Gospel. 

RAPID-FIRE    DRILL 

See  Questions  13-30,  inclusive,  in  the  back  of  this 
book. 

BLACKBOARD    OUTLINE 


I.  THE  AUTHOR.  II.  CHARACTERISTIC  OF  GOSPEL. 

1.  His  Na.  1.  Lang,  of  G09. 

2.  His  Oc.  2.  Writ,  for  Jews. 

3.  His  Char.  3.  Fi.  with  O.  T.  Quo. 

4.  His  Call.  4.  Rep.  Chr.  as  Te.  of  Te. 

5.  Pos.  Am.  Twe.  5.  Kmpli.  Words  of  Jesus. 

6.  DateofG<>>.  (i.  Kmph.  Judgment. 

7.  Cos.  Nat.  Div.  Its. 


LESSON   III. 

The    Christ     of     the     New     Testament 

Church    According    to    Mark 

I.   THE   AUTHOR 

The  second  Gospel  was  written  by  John  Mark,  who 
was  a  companion  of  both  the  apostle  Paul  and  the 
apostle  Peter. 

1.  His  Name. — There  were  three  Johns  in  the 
New  Testament  that  were  especially  prominent, 
John  the  Baptist.  John  the  apostle  and  John  Mark, 
the  writer  of  the  second  Gospel.    The  last  John  men- 


22  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

tioned  is  the  one  under  consideration  now.  His 
Jewish  name  was  John  and  his  Gentile  name  Mark,' 
or  Marcus  (Col.  4:  10;  Philem.  24;  1  Pet.  5:  13).  Mar- 
cus is  supposed  to  be  the  Latin  "mwcus,"  meaning 
a  hammer.  As  we  study  his  Gospel,  we  must  feel 
that  this  is  indeed  a  most  appropriate  name  for  him. 
He  was  a  strong  hammer,  able  to  crush  the  flint 
rock;  and  this  is  indicative  of  the  spiritual  power 
that  the  evangelist  was  able  lo  wield.  While  Mark 
is  a  Gentile  name,  he  nevertheless  w;is  a  Jew. 
Throughout  his  entire  Gospel  he  betrays  his  nation- 
ality and  breathes  the  spirit  of  an  Israelite,  and 
who,  though  too  big  to  be  bound  within  Jewish  nar- 
rowness and  bigotry,  was  still  "an  Israelite  indeed." 

2.  His  Home  Life. — Mark  was  not  an  apostle,  but 
was  the  son  of  a  certain  Mary  in  Jerusalem,  whose 
house  was  a  place  of  resort  for  the  disciples  (Acts 
12:  12).  This  Mary  was  an  aunt  of  Barnabas,  since 
Mark  was  his  cousin  (Col.  4:20).  Mark  grew  up 
in  Jerusalem,  where  his  mother  was  prominent 
among  the  disciples.  He  probably  was  acquainted 
with  the  apostles  and  may  even  have  seen  Jesus. 

3.  His  Relation  to  Peter. — Peter  calls  John  Mark 
his  son  in  the  gospel  (1  Pet.  5:  13).  It  can  not  be 
a  mere  term  of  endearment,  but  perhaps  means  that 
Mark  was  one  of  Peter's  converts.  The  fact  that 
Peter,  when  he  was  miraculously  released  from 
prison,  went  to  the  house  of  Mark's  mother,  may  in- 
dicate that  he  was  intimate  with  the  family  (Acts 
12:  12).  In  early  tradition  Mark  is  represented  as 
the  "interpreter  of  Peter,"  which  may  mean  that  he 
accompanied  him  in  the  later  years  of  the  apostle's 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    MARK  23 

life  and  acted  as  his  spokesman  when  addressing 
Gentile  audiences,  or  it  may  mean  that  Mark  merely 
wrote  down  the  things  that  Peter  preached.  As  a 
confirmation  of  the  fact  that  many  of  the  things 
that  Mark  relates  in  his  Gospel  were  those  which 
Peter  was  in  the  habit  of  giving  in  his  discourses, 
we  note  that  he  tells  plainly  many  things  that  Peter 
did  or  said  which  were  not  a  credit  to  him,  and 
omits  nearly  all  that  was. 

(1)  It  was  Peter  who  followed  after  our  Lord  m 
the  morning  after  the  miracles  at  Capernaum  (Mark 
1:  30). 

(2)  It  was  he  who  drew  attention  to  the  rapid 
withering  of  the   fig-tree    (Mark  11:  21). 

(3)  It  was  he  who.  with  three  other  of  the  apos- 
tles, asked  our  Lord,  as  he  sat  on  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  respecting  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  (Mark 
13:  3). 

(4)  It  was  to  him  specially  amongst  the  apostles 
to  whom  the  angel  directed  that  the  announcement 
of  the  resurrection  should  be  made   (Mark  10:  7). 

This  is  the  way,  likely,  that  Peter  would  have 
done.  Mark  often  especially  mentions  Peter  when 
the  other  evangelists  omitted  him. 

As  an  illustration  of  Peter's  modesty,  showing  that 
he  was  anxious  to  pass  over  what  might  especially 
redound  to  his  honor,  we  find  the  omission  of 

( 1  )  His  name  as  the  prompter  of  the  question  re- 
specting "meats  not  defiling  a  man"  (comp.  Mark 
7:  17  with  Matt.  15:15). 

<  J  i  His  walking  on  the  sea  (comp.  Mark  6:  50,  51 
with  Matt.  14:  28-31). 


24  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

(3)  The  miracle  of  the  coin  in  the  fish's  moutr. 
(comp.  Mark  9:  33  with  Matt.  17:  24-27). 

(4)  His  designation  as  the  rock,  on  which  the 
church  should  be  built  (comp.  Mark  8:  29,  30  with 
Matt.  16:  17-19). 

(5)  His  being  sent  with  another  apostle  to  make 
ready  the  Passover  (comp.  Mark  14:  13  with  Luke 
22:  S). 

(6)  The  fact  that  it  was  for  him  especially  that 
our  Lord  prayed  that  his  faith  might  not  "utterly 
fail"   (Luke  22:  31,  32).— Mar  Tear. 

4.  His  llelation  to  Paul. — Mark  accompanied 
Barnabas  and  Paul  from  Jerusalem  to  Antioch  in 
Syria  (Acts  12"  25),  and  afterwards,  when  these  two 
men  started  on  their  first  missionary  journey,  Mark 
goes  with  them  (Acts  13:  5).  For  some  unstated 
reason,  however,  Mark  leaves  Paul  and  Barnabas  at 
Perga  and  returns  to  Jerusalem.  His  motive  may 
have  been  the  fear  for  his  mother's  safety  in  Jeru- 
salem, where  all  Christians  were  in  danger  of  fre 
quent  ^persecution,  or  he  may  have  feared  the  hard- 
ship of  the  inland  trip  into  Asia  Minor,  or  he  may 
have  taken  ill.  Whatever  the  reason  for  Mark's  con- 
duct, Paul  disapproved  of  it  so  much  that  he  re- 
fused to  take  him  with  them  when  a  second  mis- 
sionary Journey  was  proposed  (Acts  15:38).  As  a 
result  of  this  contention,  Barnabas  and  Mark  sailed 
to  Cyprus  and  resumed  evangelistic  work,  and  Paul 
takes  Silas  with  him  as  he  enters  upon  his  second 
missionary  tour.  P'or  about  a  decade  Mark  disap- 
pears from  history.  We  next  find  him  in  Rome  with 
Paul    (Col.   4:10),   with    whom   he   has   again    found 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    MARK  25 

favor.  During  Paul's  second  imprisonment  in  Rome 
he  requests  Timothy  to  bring  Mark,  saying  that  he 
was  useful  to  him  for  ministering  (2  Tim.  4:2). 

5.  The  Date  of  the  Gospel. — We  may  conclude 
that  it  was  written  between  G4  A.  D.  and  63  A.  D. — 
the  latter  being  the  year  of  Nero's  death,  in  whose 
reign  Peter  and  Paul  are  believed  to  have  suffered 
martyrdom. — McClymont. 

II.   CHARACTERISTICS   OF  THE   GOSPEL 

1.  The  Shortest  Gospel. — Mark  occupies  the  least 
space  of  any  of  the  Gospel  writers  in  giving  his 
picture  of  the  Christ.  His  descriptions  are  brief, 
straightforward  and  vivid. 

2.  Gentile  Gospel. — While  Matthew's  Gospel  is 
saturated  with  quotations  from  the  Old  Testament. 
Scriptures,  showing  how  Christ  is  a  fulfillment  of 
them,  Mark  scarcely  ever  quotes  prophecy.  This 
would  lead  us  to  the  opinion  that  the  Gospel  was 
not  written  especially  for  the  Jews.  The  fact  also 
that  Mark  adds  translations  and  explanations  of 
words  that  would  be  intelligible  to  the  Jews  would 
also  tell  us  that  this  is  a  Gentile  Gospel.  Examples 
of  such  translations  and  explanations  are  found  in 
such  expressions  as  "Boanerges — Sons  of  Thunder" 
(3:  17);  "Bartimseus — the  son  of  Timams"  (10:  46); 
"Abba,  Father"  (14:  3G);  "Talitha  cumi;  which  is, 
being  interpreted,  Damsel,  I  say  unto  thee,  Arise" 
(5:  41).  Customs  are  also  frequently  explained  in 
a  manner  that  would  not  be  necessary  if  the  Gospel 
had  been  written  for  the  Jews  (see  7:3;  2:  18;  12. 
18;    14:  12;    15:  6,  42). 


26  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

As  Mark's  Gospel  depicts  Christ  in  all  of  his  ener- 
getic and  victorious  strength,  we  may  say  it  is  a 
Gospel  well  fitted  to  impress  the  Roman  mind.  The 
tradition  that  Mark  wrote  in  Rome,  that  his  Gospel 
was, for  the  Romans,  is  somewhat  confirmed  from 
frequent  use  of  Latin  words,  such  as  "denarius"  (12: 
15);   "Praetorium"   (15:16);   "centurion"    (15:39). 

3.  Mark's  Descriptions  are  Most  Vivid. — He  de- 
scribes the  emotions,  looks,  gestures  and  actions  of 
Christ  and  of  others  (see  3:5,  34;  7:  33;  8:  33;  d: 
36;  10:  32).  In  the  description  of  the  feeding  of  the 
"five  thousand,  .Mark  alone  tells  us  that  they  sat  down 
in  ranks  l:y  hundreds  and  fifties  upon  the  green 
grass.  In  further  evidence,  note  the  "photographic 
character"  of  Mark's  account  of  the  transfiguration 
and  of  the  storm  on  the  Lake  of  Galilee.  In  still  fur- 
ther keeping  with  this  idea,  we  note  that  .Mark  has 
carefully  recorded  the  minute  particulars  which  are 
unnoticed   by   the   other   Gospel   writers: 

The  person    (1:29;    2:  3G;    3:  fi;   3:22;    11:11,  21; 
] 3:  3;  14:  65;  15:  21;  16:  7). 
Number   (5:  13;    6;  7.   40;    14;  30). 
Time  (4:  35;  6:  2;    11:  11.  19;   15:  25;  16:  2). 
Place  (4:  1  :   5:  20;    L3:  3;    14:  68;    15:  39;    L6:  5). 

4.  Mark  Emphasizes  Christ  as  a  Worker.  -While 
Matthew  emphasizes  him  as  a  teacher,  Mark  says 
that  he  came  to  do  something  as  well  as  say  some- 
thing. This  accounts  for  the  fact  that  Man  hew  en- 
larges upon  the  words  of  Christ,  while  Mark  en- 
larges up^n  his  works:  Matthew  lays  emphasis  upon 
his  parables  and  Mark  upon  his  miracles. 

5.  Christ     is     the     Master     Man     of     the     Liviiijt, 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    MARK  27 

Present. — Matthew  lays  much  emphasis  upon  the 
past  in  that  he  gives  a  full  genealogy  of  Christ, 
quotes  prophecy,  etc.  Mark  sets  Jesus  before  us  as 
he  worked  and  taught  in  the  living  present,  a  won- 
derful worker  of  miracles  and  a  possessor  of  more 
than  mortal  authority.  Mark's  Gospel  has  a  larger 
portion  of  common  matter  than  any  of  the  others. 
Fully  93  per  cent,  of  the  whole  contents  of  Mark's 
Gospel  is  found  in  one  or  more  of  the  other  Gospels. 
"No  one  who  is  familiar  with  Matthew  can  read  Mark 
without  noticing  a  striking  similarity  between  them 
in  the  facts  that  they  relate,  and  sometimes  in  the 
words  that  they  employ;  but,  on  close  comparison 
of  the  two,  it  will  be  seen  that  in  almost,  if  not  quite, 
all  these  instances,  Mark  has  some  additional  items 
which  distinguish  his  account  from  Matthew's.  The 
student  should  constantly  keep  his  eye  open  for 
these,  for  they  not  only  show  the  difference  between 
the  two  writers,  making  each  stand  out  before  the 
mind  by  himself,  but  they  are  necessary  to  a  full 
knowledge  of  the  incidents  with  which  they  are  con- 
nected. The  same  may  be  said  in  reference  to  events 
mentioned  by  three,  or  by  all,  of  the  Gospel  writers. 
Study  all,  and  combine  the  particulars  given  by  all." 
— McClymont. 

6.  Mark's  Purpose  is  to  Prove  the  Divinity 
rather  than  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus. — This  main 
purpose  is  clearly  put  forth  in  his  introductory 
words:  "The  beginning  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God."  In  this  Mark  differs  from  Mat- 
thew, as  it  was  Matthew's  main  purpose  to  prove 
that   Christ   is   the   Messiah    of    the   Old   Testament. 


28  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

In  carrying  out  that  plan,  Matthew  devoted  much 
si  ace  to  prophecy  and  to  the  discourses  of  the  Mas- 
ter. On  the  other  hand,  Mark,  in  carrying  out  his 
plan,  devotes  much  space  to  the  miracles,  tor  in 
these,  rather  than  through  prophecy,  he  could  prove 
his  divinity.  Marls  begins  his  account  of  the  life  of. 
Christ  with  the  preaching  of  John  the  Baptist,  \vhile_ 
Matthew  hegins  with  the  genealogy  and  birth  of 
Christ.  The  reason  for  this  is  found  in  the  dis- 
tinction just  given  above. 

TOPICS    FOR    HOMF    STUDY    AND    CLASS 
DISCUSSION 

1.  Mark's  early  life. 

2.  His  Jewish  name  and  his  Itoman  name. 

."..  Name   and    designate  three   Johns   in    the    New 
Testament. 

4.  What    was  Mark's  relation   to  Barnabas? 

.">.    \Vhat  was  Mark's  relation  to  the  apostle  Peter7 

6.  What  was  Mark's  relation  to  the  apostle  Paul? 

7.  Why    is    Mark's    Gospel    sometimes    called    the 
petrine  Gospel? 

8.  Name    some   things    in   Mark's   Gospel    that    are 
peculiar  to  this  Gospel. 

9.  Why     does     Mark     explain     Hebrew     words     or 
phrases? 

10.  vVha1    is  Mark's  purpose  in  writing  his  Gospel 
as  compared   with   Matthew? 

11.  Name  two  characteristics  of  Mark's  Gospel, 

12.  Give  an   outline   of  Mark's  Gospel. 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    LUKE  29 

RAPID-FIRE   QUESTIONS 

See  Questions  31-50,  inclusive,  in  the  back  of  this 

book. 

BLACKBOARD   OUTLINE 

A A, 

I.  THE  AUTHOR.  II.  CHARACTERISTICS  OP  GOSPEL. 

1.  His  Name.  1.  Shortest  Gos. 

2.  Ho.  Life.  2.  Gen.  Gos. 

3.  Relft.  to  Pet.  3.  Des.  Mo.  Viv. 

4.  Rela.  to  Paul.  1.  Emp.  Chr.  as  a  Wo. 

5.  Date  of  Gos.  5.  Oh.  Mas.  Man  of  Li  v.  Pie. 

(i.  Pro.  Div.  ra.  th.  Mes.  of  Jesus. 


LESSON   IV. 

The     Christ    of    the     New    Testament 

Church   According   to    Luke 

I.   THE  AUTHOR 

The  author  of  the  third  Gospel  is  Luke,  a  faithful 
companion  of  Paul. 

1.  His  Name. — There  are  but  three  places  in  the 
Scripture  where  Luke's  name  is  mentioned.  In  Col. 
4:  14,  Paul  says,  "Luke,  the  beloved  physician,  and 
Demas  salute  you."  In  2  Tim.  4:  11,  the  same  writer 
says,  "Only  Luke  is  with  me;"  and  in  Philemon  24 
he  is  mentioned  as  one  of  Paul's  "fellow-workers." 
While  Luke  is  mentioned  by  name  only  in  these 
three  instances,  yet  we  may  learn  much  of  him 
from  the  Book  of  Acts,  in  which  he  intimates  his 
presence  with  Paul  at  times  by  the  use  of  "we"  or 
"us"  in  the  narrative  (Acts  16:  10-17;  20:  5-21:  18; 
27:  1-28:  16). 


30  THE    \i:\\     TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

2.  Mis  Early  Life. — Early  tradition  says  that 
Luke  was  a  native  of  Antioch  in  Syria.  Whether  or 
not  this  is  true,  his  interest  in  and  his  familiarity 
with  the  church  at  Antioch  is  evident.  Note  Acts 
6:  5;  11:  10-27;  13:  1-3;  14:  2G-28;  15:  1.  2,  30-40;  L8: 
22,  23.  Ramsay,  in  his  hook  called  "St.  Paul  the 
Traveler,-'  holds  that  Luke  was  a  Philippian.  Euse- 
bius  says:  "Luke,  who  was  born  at  Antioch,  and  by 
profession  a  physician,  being  for  the  most  part  con- 
nected with  Paul,  and  familiarly  acquainted  with 
the  rest  of  the  apostles,  has  left  us  two  inspired 
books.  One  of  these  is  his  Gospel,  in  which  he  tes- 
tifies that  he  has  recorded  'as  those  who  were  from 
the  beginning  eye-witnesses  and  ministers  of  the 
Word  delivered  unto  him,'  whom  also,  he  says,  he 
has  in  all  things  followed.  ...  It  is  also  said  that 
Paul  usually  referred  to  his  Gospel,  whenever  in  his 
Epistles  he  spoke  of  some  particular  Gospel  of  his 
own,  saying,  'according  to  my  Gospel.'  "  Origen. 
quoted  by  Eusebius,  writes:  "And  the  third,  accord- 
ing to  Luke,  the  Gospel  commended  by  Paul,  which 
was  written  for  the  converts  from  the  Gentiles." 
Irenaeus  refers  frequently  to  Luke  by  name;  as, 
"Luke,  also  the  companion  of  Paul,  recorded  in  a 
book  the  gospel  preached  by  him." 

:i.  His  Profession. — Luke  was  a  physician,  and  is 
called  by  Paul,  "the  beloved  physician"  (Col.  4:  14). 
Some  have  suggested  that  Luke  traveled  with  Paul 
because  the  latter  had  need  of  medical  attendance. 
Some  trans  of  Luke's  profession  may  be  discovered 
in  the  frequency  with  which  he  refers  to  the  work 
of   Christ    and   that   of   his   apostles   as    the   ministry 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    LUKE  31 

of  healing  (4:  18,  23;  9:  1,  2,  6;  10:  9);  as  well  as 
the  occasional  use  of  expressions  which  a  physician 
would  likely  employ   (4:  38;   5:  12;   G:  19;  22:  44). 

4.  His  Nationality. — Luke  likely  was  not  a  Jew. 
From  the  distinction  drawn  between  him  and  those 
"of  the  circumcision"  (Col.  4:  11-14),  "it  may  be  in- 
ferred that  he  was  of  Gentile  extraction,  and  this 
inference  is  confirmed  by  his  Greek  name  and  the 
character  of  his  style,  which — except  when  he  is 
drawing  from  older  documents  or  reporting  speech- 
es conveyed  to  him  by  others — is  more  classical  than 
that  of  the  other  Gospels^  alike  as  (regards  the 
structure  of  the  sentences  and  the  choice  of  words, 
as  well  as  in  his  use  of  an  opening  dedication,  a 
feature  quite  foreign  to  the  Hebrew  style." — McCly- 
mont.  As  Luke  was  not  a  Jew,  he  was  the  only  Gen- 
tile to  write  any  part  of  the  New  Testament.  Of 
the  Gospel  writers,  Matthew  and  John  were  apos- 
tles;  Mark  and  Luke  were  not. 

5.  His  Relation  to  Paul. — By  reading  the  follow- 
ing passages,  it  will  appear  that  Luke  joined  Paul 
on  his  second  missionary  journey  at  Troas,  in  Asia 
Minor,  and  went  with  him  over  to  Philippi  in  Mac- 
edonia (Acts  1C:  10-17;  20:  5-21:  18;  27:  1-28:  16). 
Again,  on  Paul's  third  journey,  Luke  rejoined  the 
apostle  at  Philippi  and  went  with  him  to  Jerusalem. 
He  likely  remained  in  Palestine  during  the  two 
years  in  which  Paul  was  in  prison  at  Csesarea,  and 
he  sailed  with  the  apostle  from  Csesarea  to  Rome. 
When  Paul  is  writing  his  last  letter  while  in  prison  in 
Rome,  after  he  has  written  those  well-known  words 
of  having  fought  the  good  fight  and  having  finished 


32  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

the  course  and  having  kepi  the  Faith,  he  tells  about 
different  ones  who  had  left  him,  and  says,  "Luke 
only  is  with  me"  (2  Tim.  I:  11).  Sometimes  the 
third  Gospel  is  called  Paul's  Gospel  because  il  was 
written  by  one  who  was  a  very  close  companion  of 
Paul,  and  no  doubt  writes  in  many  ways  as  Paul 
would   have  written. 

6.  The  Date  of  Luke's  Gospel.— From  Acts  1:  1  it 
is  clear  that  it  was  written  before  the  Book  of  Acts, 
which  (see  Acts  28:30,  31)  mnst  have  been  com- 
pleted before  the  end  of  the  second  year  of  Paul's 
imprisonment;    that  is,  about    A.   D.  G3. — Thompson. 

II.    CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE   GOSPEL 

1.  The  Gospel  of  Sympathy. —  (1)  It  is  in  this 
Gospel  that  we  find  a  record  of  the  visit  of  Chris. 
to  the  house  of  Zaccheus,  the  publican    (!•:  1). 

(2)  It  is  here  that  we  have  his  gracious  recep- 
tion  of   the   woman   who   was  a  sinner    iT:  ::7t. 

t :;  I  It  is  here  that  we  see  his  promise  of  paradise 
to  the   penitent    thief    (23:  13). 

(4)  Luke   shows   that    Christ    embraced    within   the 
range  of  his  sympathy   (fli   the  Gentile  (4:  25-27:   :'  I 
28,  29)    and   the    (6)    poor    (2:  7.   8,  24:    6:  20;    9:  58; 
14:  21). 

(5)  Christ  cared  tor  those  whom  the  society  or' 
that    time    neglected    or    hated. 

(a)    For    women    (10:  38-42). 

(6)  For   children    (18:  17). 

(C)   For   the   despised    (lf,:  19-22). 
(d)   For  the  social  outcast  (15:  1). 


<'I/I?I8T—ACC0R'1>1X<!    TO    LUKE  33 

The  breadth  of  Christ's  sympathy  is  as  wide  as 
human  need.  The  more  urgent  the  need  the  greater 
is  his  outflow  of  sympathetic  help.  His  ministry  ex- 
tends to  the  whole  man,  body,  mind  and  soul. 

"'rin>  great  Physician  now  is  near, 

The  sympathizing  Jesus. 
He  speaks  the  drooping  heart   to  cheer, 

()li!  hear  the  voice  of  Jesus. 
Your  many  sins  are  all  forgiv'n, 

Oh!   hear   the   vtoice  of  Jesus. 
Go  <>u  your  way  in  peace  to  heaven 

And   wcai-   a   crown   with   .d'sus." 

2.  Samaritan  Gospel. — Luke  tells  how  Christ 
shamed  the  "thankless  Jews"  by  the  example  of  the 
"thankful  Samaritan"  (17:  1G).  Through  the  para- 
ble of  the  good  Samaritan  recorded  only  by  Luke, 
he  shows  how  the  good  Samaritan  surpasses  the 
proud  priest  and  Levite  in  his  compassion  upon  one 
who  had  fallen  among  thieves.  The  priest  and  the 
Levite  passed  by  on  the  other  side,  but  the  good 
Samaritan,  moved  with  compassion,  did  something 
for  the  half-killed  man.  His  compassion  was  more 
than  a  mere  sentiment.  It  was  that  which  led  him 
to  a  merciful  deed.  Through  this  Samaritan  para- 
ble all  Christians  are  taught  that,  the  one  who  needs 
help   is  our  neighbor. 

3.  Luke  Emphasizes  the  Perean  Ministry. — In 
Luke  9:  51-10:  14,  we  have  a  record  of  many  of  the 
activities  of  Christ  preserved  only  by  this  writer. 
Some  of  the  most  precious  parts  of  this  Gospel  are 
found  here.     A  few  of  them  are: 

(1)  Parable  of  the  Great  Supper   (14:  15-24). 

(2)  Parable  of  the  Lost  Sheep    (15:  3-7). 

(3)  Parable  of  the  Lost  Piece  of  Silver  (15:  8-10). 


34  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    flllRCH 

in   Parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son   (15:11-32). 
(5)  Parable  of  the  Unjust  Steward   (16:  1-18). 
(G)    Parable  of  the  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus  (1G:  19- 
31). 

(7)  Parable  of  the  Healing  of  I  he  Ten  Lepers  (17: 
12-19). 

(8)  The  Pharisee  and  the  Publican    (18:  1-14). 
Most  of  these  events  are  included   in  Christ's  Pe- 

rean  ministry,  which  occupies  the  larger  part  of  the 
last  three  months  of  his  life. 

4.  Luke  Reveals  the  Sacredness  of  Infancy. — He 
alone  tells  of  the  birth  and  infancy  of  the  Baptist; 
the  Annunciation;  the  meeting  of  Mary  and  Eliza- 
beth; the  songs  of  the  herald  Angels;  the  Circum- 
cision; the  Presentation  in  the  Temple;  the  growth 
in  universal  favor  and  sweet  submission. — Farrar. 
And  it  is  Luke  who  preserves  the  one  story  of  the 
visit  to  the  temple  of  Jesus  at  twelve  years  old. 
which  is  the  "solitary  flower  gathered  from  the  si- 
lence  of   thirty   years." 

5.  Gospel  of  Womanhood. — Luke  very  promi- 
nently records  the  graciousness  and  tenderness  of 
Christ  toward  childhood  and  womanhood.  It  is 
Luke  only  that  tells  that  the  young  man  who  was 
raised  to  life  at  the  gate  of  the  city  of  Nain  was 
the  "only  son  of  his  mother,  and  she  was  a  widow"' 
(7:  11).  It  is  Luke  only  who  tells  us  that  (he  daugh- 
ter of  Jairus,  whom  Christ  restored  to  life,  was  the 
only  daughter  (8:  12).  It  is  Luke  from  whom  we 
learn  that  the  boy  who  was  a  demoniac,  whom  Christ 
healed  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Hermon  after  the  trans- 
figuration, was  an  only  child  (9:  38).   Luke  says  that 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    LIKE  35 

the  children  who  were  brought  to  Jesus  were  babes 
(18:  15). 

6.  The  Gospel  of  Thanksgiving. — The  Gospel  of 
the  Saviour  begins  with  hymns  and  ends  with 
praise;  and  as  the  thanksgivings  of  the  meek  are 
recorded  in  the  first  chapter,  so  in  the  last  we  listen 
to  the  gratitude  of  the  faithful. — Westcott.  At  least 
seven  times  mention  is  made  of  "glorifying  God"  by 
the  utterance  of  gratitude  and  praise  (2:  20;  5:  25; 
7:  16;    13:  13;    17:  15;    18:  43;    23:  47). 

Thou   hast    an   car   for  angel    songs. 

A  breath  the  gospel  trump  To  fill, 
And  taught    by   thee   the  church   prolongs 

Her  hymns  of  high  thanksgiving  still. 

— Keble. 

7.  The  Gospel  of  Prayer. — This  Gospel  alone  pre- 
serves to  us  the  fact  that  our  Lord  was  praying. 

( 1 )  When   he   was  transfigured. 

"And  as  he  was  praying,  the  fashion  of  his  countenance 
was  altered,  and  his  raiment  became  white  and  dazzling' 
(Luke  9:  29). 

(2)  At  the  baptism  when  the  Holy  Spirit  de- 
scended on  him. 

"Now  it  came  to  pass,  when  all  the  people  were  baptized, 
that,  Jesus  also  having  l>een  baptized,  and  praying,  the 
heaven  was  opened,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  descended  iu  a 
bodily  form,  as  a  dove,  upon  him,  and  a  voice  came  out 
of  heaven.  Thou  art  my  beloved  Son  ;  in  thee  I  am  well 
pleased"    (Luke  3:21,  22). 

(3)  After  cleansing  the  leper. 

"But  he  withdrew  himself  in  the  deserts,  and  praved" 
(5:16). 

(4)  Before  calling  the  twelve. 

"And  it  came  to  pass  in  these  days,  that  he  went  out 
into  the  mountain  to  pray  ;  and  he  continued  all  night  in 
prayer  to   Hod"    16  :  12). 


36  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHUROH 

(5)  On  the  cross   for  the  murderers. 

"And  Jesus  said,  Father,  forgive  them;  for  they  know 
hot  what  they  do"    i  .':!  :  :U). 

(6)  With  his  last  breath. 

"And  Jesus,  crying  with  a  loud  voice?,  said.  Father,  into 
thy  hands  I  commend  my  sniiii  ;  and  baying  said  this,  he 
gave  up  i  hf  ghost"   I  23  :  16  i. 

Luke,  like  Paul,  insists  on  the  duty  of  unceasing 
prayer.  He  emphasizes  this  instruction  by  alone  re- 
cording the  two  parables  which  encourage  us  to  be 
intensely  persistent  and  continuously  faithful  in  our 
prayers    (11:  5-13;    18:  L-8). 

TOPICS   FOR    HOME   STUDY   AND    CLASS 
DISCUSSION 

1.  Name  and  describe  one  miracle  peculiar  to  Luke. 

2.  Name  and  describe  one  parable  peculiar  to  Luke. 

3.  What   probably   was   Luke's  native   city? 

4.  How  many  times,  and  where,  is  Luke  men- 
tioned  in   the   New  Testament? 

5.  "When  and  under  what  circumstances  does  Luke 
first  join   Paul? 

6.  Name  two  characteristics  of   Luke's  Gcspel. 

7.  What  was  Luke's  nationality0  Give  reasons 
for  so  thinking. 

RAPID-FIRE    DRILL 

Use  Questions  51  to  G7,  inclusive  in  tin-  hack  of 
this  book. 


GBRI ST— ACCORDING    TO    JOHN 
BLACKBOARD   OUTLINE 


.  THE  AUTHOR.  II.  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  GOSPEL. 

1.  His  Name.  1.  <los.  ufSym. 

•2.  Eur.  Life.  2.  Sam.  Cos. 

3.  Prof.  3.  Emph.  Perean  Min. 

4.  Nation.  4.  Rev.  Sac.  of  Inf. 

5.  Re  I  a.  to  Paul.  5.  Gos.  of  Worn. 

li.  Pate  of  Gog.  6.  Gos.  of  Thanks. 
7.  Gos.  of  Prayer. 


LESSON   V. 

The     Christ     of     the     New    Testament 

Church    According   to    John 

I.   THE   AUTHOR 

1.  His  Name. — It  is  generally  accepted  that  John 
the  apostle  has  written  the  fourth  Gospel.  In  speak- 
ing of  the  Gospel,  it  will  be  recalled  that  three  Johns 
were  mentioned:  John,  the  apostle,  a  son  of  Zebe- 
dee,  and  the  brother  of  James,  who  suffered  martyr- 
dom under  Herod  Agrippa  I.;  John  the  Baptist,  and 
John   Mark,   the  author  of  the  second  Gospel. 

2.  His  Occupation. — John  was  a  fisherman  on  the 
Lake  of  Galilee   I.Mark  1:  19,  20). 

3.  His  Character. — The  apostle  John  was  so  faith 
ful  and  thoughtful  and  consecrated  in  his  disciple- 
ship  that  he  has  the  memorable  distinction  of  being 
called  "the  apostle  whom  Jesus  loved."  Nothing 
stronger  than  this  can  be  said  concerning  his  char- 
acter. He  ever  followed  his  Master  Teacher  with  n 
full,   absorbing  and   unwavering  devotion. 

4.  His    Relation   to   the   Other   Apostles. — Patsr, 


38  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

James  and  John  are  with  Christ  when  none  else  are. 
as  at  the  raising  of  Jairus'  daughter  (Mark  5:  37), 
in  the  glory  of  the  transfiguration  (Matt.  17:1),  and 
in  the  agony  in  Gethsemane  (Matt.  26:  37;  Mark  14: 
33).  John  and  James  were  called  Boanerges  (sons 
of  thunder),  implying  a  zeal  and  intensity  of  dis- 
position which  is  one  of  the  elements  that  go  to 
make  up  the  life  of  a  great  man  (Mark  3:  17).  At 
the  time  of  the  betrayal,  Peter  and  John,  after  the 
momentary  confusion,  followed  Jesus  afar  off,  while 
the  others  hastened  to  seek  safety  in  flight  (John 
18:  5).  John  goes  on  into  the  council  chamber,  while 
Peter  stays  outside  with  Christ's  enemies  (John  18: 
16,  19,  28).  At  the  cross,  John,  who  had  been  to 
Christ  as  a  brother,  has  left  to  him  a  brother's  duty 
(John  19:26,  27).  After  the  resurrection  it  is  to 
Peter  and  John  that  Mary  Magdalene  first  runs  with 
the  tidings  of  the  empty  tomb  (John  20:2);  and 
they  were  the  first  to  go  together  to  see  what  the 
strange  words  meant.  After  the  ascension  John,  of 
course,  was  present  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and 
later  he,  with  Peter,  enters  the  temple  as  a  worshiper 
(Acts  3:  1)  and  makes  strong  protests  against  the 
threats  of  the  Sanhedrin  (Acts  !:  13).  .John  is  per- 
mitted to  live  many  years  after  the  other  apostles 
have  died  a  martyr's  death.  It  was  left  to  him  to 
write  five  of  the  books  of  the  New  Testament — his 
Gospel,  which  we  are  now  considering,  three  Epis- 
tles, and  the  Book  of  Revelation. 

5.  The  Date  «>•'  <lie  Book.  -The  Gospel  according 
to  John  was  probably  written  between  85  and  90 
A.  D.,  in  the  city  of  Ephesus. 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    JOHN  39 

II.    CHARACTERISTICS 

1.  John's  Gospel  Differs  Widely  from  the  Others. 

— The  Gospels  of  Matthew,  Mark  and  Luke  are  so 
much  alike  that  they  are  styled  the  "synoptics" — that 
is,  taking  the  same  view.  John  has,  however,  care- 
fully avoided  repeating  what  others  have  written, 
and  the  result  is  that  he  has  very  few  events  in 
common  with  them,  and  when  he  does  record  things 
given  by  others,  he  gives  details  which  they  have 
omitted.  This  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  he 
wrote  much  later  than  the  other  Gospel  writers,  and 
cared  not  to  repeat  what  they  had  already  presented. 

2.  John's  Gospel  is  Chronological. — When  we 
count  the  feasts  of  the  Jews  which  Christ  attended, 
all  of  which  are  mentioned  by  John,  we  find  that 
there  were  three  years  from  the  visit  made  to  Jeru- 
salem in  the  second  chapter  to  the  one  at  the  time 
of  his  crucifixion.  If  we  knew  how  long  it  was  from 
his  baptism  until  his  first  visit  to  the  feast  at  Jeru- 
salem, we  could  know  definitely  the  duration  of  his 
ministry,  but  on  this  point  the  chronology  is  not 
good.  It  is  regarded  that  Chrisfs  ministry  extended 
over  a  period  of  about  three  years  and  three  months. 

:J.  John  Emphasizes  the  Judean  Ministry. — We 
see  how  in  our  last  study  Luke  laid  emphasis  upon 
the  Perean  ministry,  which  occupied  the  larger  part 
of  the  last  three  months  of  Christ's  life.  By  a 
study  of  the  fourth  Gospel  we  see  that  John  has 
placed  much  emphasis  upon  Christ's  Judean  min- 
istry, which  occupied  the  larger  part  of  the  first 
year  following  his  baptism.     For  the  events  of  the 


•10  THE    HEW    JUST  AM  EXT    CHURCH 

first   year   of  Christ's   ministry,    read   the   first   four 
chapters  in  John's  Gospel. 

4.  John's  Gospel  is  a  Gospel  of  Symbolism. — Not 

merely  does  John's  Gospel  contain  the  three  great 
allegories  of  the  Sheepfold,  the  Good  Shepherd,  and 
the  Vine,  from  which  Christian  art  has  drawn  its 
symbolism  from  the  very  earliest  times;  but  the 
whole  Gospel  from  end  to  end  is  penetrated  with 
the  spirit  of  symbolical  representation.  In  nothing 
is  this  more  apparent  than  in  the  eight  miracles 
which  the  evangelist  Pas  selected  for  the  illustration 
of  the  divine  epic.  His  own  word  for  them  leads 
us  to  expect  this:  to  him  they  are  not  so  much 
miracles  as  "signs."  The  first  two  are  introductory, 
and  seem  to  be  pointed  out  as  such  by  John  (2:  11; 
4:  54).  The  turning  of  the  water  into  wine  exhib- 
its the  Messiah's  sovereign  power  over  inanimate 
matter,  the  healing  of  the  official's  son,  his  power 
over  the  noblest  of  living  bodies.  Moreover,  they 
teach  two  great  lessons  which  lie  at  the  very  root 
cf  Christianity:  (1)  that  Christ's  presence  hallows 
I  he  commonest  events  and  turns  the  meanest  ele- 
ments into  the  richest;  (2)  that  the  way  to  win  bless- 
ings is  to  trust  the  Bestower  of  them.  The  third 
sign,  healing  the  paralytic,  shows  the  Messiah  as  the 
great  Bestower,  repairing  the  physical  as  well  as 
the  spiritual  ravages  of  sin  (v.  14).  In  the  feeding 
of  the  five  thousand  the  Christ  appears  as  the  Sup- 
port of  life,  in  the  walking  on  the  sea  as  the  Guar- 
dian and  Guide  of  his  followers.  The  giving  of  sight 
to  the  man  horn  blind  and  the  raising  of  Lazarus 
show    that    he    is    the    Source    <>f    life    and    light    to 


CHRIST— ACCORDING    TO    JOHN  41 

men.  The  last  sign,  wrought  hy  the  risen  Christ, 
sums  up  and  concludes  the  whole  series  (21:1-12). 
Fallen  man,  restored,  fed,  guided,  enlightened,  de- 
livered from  the  terrors  of  death,  passes  to  the  ever- 
lasting shore  of  peace,  where  the  Lord  is  waiting 
to  receive   him. — Plummvr. 

.">.  John's  Gospel  is  a  Spiritual  Gospel. — Consid- 
ering this  Gospel  as  a  whole,  possibly  no  fitter  epi- 
thet can  be  found  than  that  of  Clement  of  Alexan- 
dria at  the  close  of  the  second  century;  namely,  "the 
spiritual  Gospel,"  which  represents  Christ  in  his 
work,  not  with  special  reference  to  the  past  (as 
with  Matthew),  or  the  present  (as  with  Mark),  or 
the  future  (as  with  Luke),  but  with  general  refer- 
ence to  eternity,  in  which  the  past,  present  and  fu- 
ture are  all  included.  In  calling  this  the  spiritual 
Gospel,  we  might  make  a  contrast  by  designating  the 
other  Gospels  bodily  Gospels;  that  is,  Matthew, 
Mark  and  Luke  have  much  to  say  about  what  Christ 
did,  where  he  went,  how  he  acted,  but  John  lays 
more  empnasis  upon  the  spiritual  side.  The  key- 
note of  the  Gospel  is  Jesus,  the  divine  One  who  be- 
came flesh  and  dwelt  among  us.  John's  great  theme 
is  set  forth  in  his  introduction  (1:1-18),  which 
strikes  the  keynote  of  the  whole  Gospel. 

6.  "Written  by  ai  Eye-witness. — John's  Gospel  im- 
presses one  as  having  been  written  by  one  who  was 
in  the  "inner  ctrce."  "This  is  the  disciple,"  writes 
the  author,  "that  beareth  witness  of  these  things, 
and  wrote  these  things:  and  we  know  that  his  wit- 
ness is  true"  (John  21:  24).  In  the  description  of 
the  various  scenes   in  the  "upper  room"  the  Lord's 


12  THE    \i:\\     TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

Supper  was  instituted.  We  are  told  that  there  "was 
at  the  table  reclining  in  Jesus'  bosom  one  of  his 
disciples  whom  Jesus  loved"  (13:  2:: ).  In  the  au- 
thor's description  of  the  feeding  of  the  five  thou- 
sand, he  tells  about  Jesus  putting  the  question  to 
Philip,  "Whence  are  we  to  buy  bread  that  these  may 
eat?"  and  adds  that  he  said  this  to  prove  him,  for 
Christ  himself  knew  what  he  would  do.  The  author 
of  this  fourth  Gospel  seemed  to  know  the  very  inner 
thoughts  of  the  .Master  (22:  2;  21:  7;  1:  35-51;  2:  11, 
17,  22;  4:  6,  8,  27:  6:  5,  8,  68-71;  9:  2;  11:  1G;  12:  21  i 
7.  A  Summary  of  Characteristics  and  Coinci- 
dences.— Dr.  Westcott,  in  his  introduction  to  the 
"Study  of  the  Gospels,"  gives  the  following  table, 
showing  the  peculiarities  and  coincidences  of  the 
Gospel  writers.  The  total  contents  of  the  several 
Gospels  in  this  table  are  presented  by  100. 


GOSPEL.  PECULIARITIES.      COINCIDENCES. 

Mark  7  93 

Matthew  42  58 

Luke  59  41 

John  92  8 

.$..  _ v 

TOPICS    FOR    HOWE    STUDY    AND    CLASS 
DISCUSSION 

1.  Make  one  comparison   of  the  four  Gospels. 

2.  The    position    of    the    apostle    John    among    the 
i  welve. 

::.   Why  Christ's  mother  was  given  into  l he  care  of 
the  apostle  John 


BOOK    OF    ACTS  43 

4.  Why  John  omits  many  things  told  by  Matthew, 
Mark  and  Luke. 

5.  Why  John  emphasizes  (lie  Judean  ministry. 

G.  Why    John    is    called    the    apostle    whom    Jesus 
loved. 

7.  Does  John  mention  his  own  name  in  his  Gospel? 

8.  The  appropriateness  of  calling  John's  book  the 
"spiritual''  Gospel. 

RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 

Use  Questions  <;s   to  86   Inclusive,   in    tk<;  back  <* 
this  book. 


BLACKBOARD    OUTLiNE 

f 

.♦. 

*r 

I 

.  TH1 

AUTHOR. 

TT. 

CHARACTER  LSTICS  OF  BOOK. 

1. 

His  Name. 

1.   Dif.  WiA.  from  Others. 

2. 

His 

Oc. 

'>.  ( Chronological. 

8. 

His 

Char. 

'-!.  Kmph.  .Tud.  Min. 

1. 

His 

Rela.  to  oth 

Apos. 

1.  Gos.  of  Symp. 

5. 

Dat 

e  of  Bk. 

.">.  Spir.  Gos. 

(i.  Writ,  by  Eye-wit. 

*- 

— .— ■ 

— __ * 

LESSON   VI. 

Early   History   of   the   New  Testament 

Church 

A   STUDY   OF   THE   BOOK   OF   ACTS 

The  Book  of  Acts  comes  naturally  after  the  four 
Gospels.  While  the  Gospels  are  written  to  prove  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  Sa- 
viour of  the.  world,  the  Book  of  Acts  tells  how  the 
learned    and    the    unlearned,    the    peasant    and    the 


44  THE    \i:\\     TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

king,  may  accept  and  follow  Christ.  It  is  the  hook 
of  the  New  Testament  to  which  all  people  should  be 
referred  when  they  want  to  know  how  to  become 
Christians. 

.       I.     ITS    AUTHOR 

The  Gospel  according  to  Luke  and  the  Book  of 
Acts  are  dedicated  to  the  same  man.  It  is  gener- 
ally held  thai  these  two  books  were  written  by  the 
same  person,  and  this  is  strongly  confirmed  by  the 
uniformity  of  style  which  pervades  them.  All  the 
evidences,  therefore,  which  tend  to  prove  that  Luke 
wrote  the  third  book  of  the  New  Testament,  have 
equal  force  in  proving  that  he  wrote  the  Book  of 
Acts. 

1.  Some   Pacts  Alxnit   the  Author. 

(  I  )  The  writer  was  an  immediate  disciple  of  the 
apostles    <  Luke  1:2). 

(2)  He  was  a  Gentile  Christian.  This  is  indicated 
by  being  referred  to  as  one  who  is  not  "of  the  cir- 
cumcision" (Col.  4:  11-17).  Then,  too,  a  Jewish  Chris- 
tian would  likely  not  have  spoken  of  the  elders  "of 
the  Jews"  (Luke  7:  3),  or  of  a  city  "of  the  Jews" 
(Luke  23:  51). 

(3)  The  writer  was  a  traveling  companion  of  the 
apostle  Paul  during  a  large  part  of  his  ministry,  and 
was  with  him  during  his  fust  imprisonment  in  Rome 
(Ads  28:  16).  We  judge  this  from  the  so-called  "we" 
passages    (Acts    16:10-17;    20:5-21:18;    27:1-28:16). 

(4)  The  writer  was  a  man  of  culture.  This  we 
judge  by  the  classic  style  and  "his  historic  taste  and 
delicacy  of  mind." 


BOOK    OF    ACTS  45 

2.  These  Facts  do  Not  Belong  To: 

(1)  Barnabas,  for  lie  was  a  Levite. 

(2)  Silas,  for  he  was  a  distinguished  member  of 
the  apostolic  church  at  Jerusalem. 

(3)  Timothy,  for  he  was  a  Lycaonian.  Timothy's 
mother  was  a  Jewess,  and  his  father  a  Greek  (Acts 
16:  1). 

(4)  It  is  further  true  that  Silas,  Timothy  and 
Barnabas  were  all  with  Paul  before  the  "we"  begins 
(Acts  16:  10)  :  they  were  not  always  with  him  when 
the  "we"  is  used;  and  they  were  sometimes  with 
him  when  the  writer  says  "they." 

(5)  The  facts  mentioned  above  do  not  fit  Titus, 
for  he  was  not  at  Troas  when  the  writer  uses  "we" 
(2  Cor.  2:  12,  13). 

3.  These  Facts  Fit  Luke: 

(1)  Luke  was  associated  with  Peter  and  James 
the  Lord's  brother,  both  of  whom   were  apostles. 

(2)  Paul  in  his  letter  to  the  Colossians  ranks 
Luke  among  the  Christians  of  Greek  origin  (Col. 
4:  10-14). 

(3)  Luke  was  with  Paul  in  the  Roman  imprison- 
ment, as  appears  from  salutations  sent  by  him  in 
the  letters  to  the  Colossians  and  to  Philemon,  both 
written  during  that  imprisonment. 

(4)  Paul  distinguishes  Luke  as  a  physician,  which 
implies  mental  culture  above  that  of  an  ordinary 
person. 

For  facts  concerning  Luke's  name,  his  early  life, 
his  profession,  his  nationality  and  his  relation  to 
Paul,  see  the  previous  lesson  on  "The  Christ  of  the 
New  Testament  Church  According  to  Luke." 


46  TH1-:    NEW    ^TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

II.     LUKE'S   SOURCES   OF    INFORMATION 

1.  As  Luke  was  with  Paul  during  all  of  the  time 
covered  by  the  so-called  "we"  passages,  his  source 
of  information  was,  of  course,  his  own  personal  ob- 
servation. Then,  too,  he  could  get  direct  from  Paul 
the  account  of  Stephen's  speech  and  death,  and  con- 
cerning all  the  events  with  which  Paul  had  to  do. 

2.  Concerning  those  events  with  which  Paul  had 
no  connection,  Luke  had  opportunity  to  converse  with 
those  who  had:  with  Philip,  the  evangelist,  concern- 
ing the  labors  in  Samaria,  and  with  Peter  and  James 
the  Lord's  brother,  for  all  the  events  in  which  these 
two  men  participated. 

III.     THE   DIVISIONS   OF   THE   BOOK 

The  Book  of  Acts  divides  itself  naturally  into  four 
sections: 

1.  The  Church   in  Jerusalem    (Acts   1:  1-S:  4). 
This     part     treats    exclusively    of    the     Jerusalem 

church. 

2.  The  Church  in   Transition    (Acts  8:  5-12:  25). 
This  part  tells  of  the  spread  of  the  gospel  in  Judea, 

Samaria  and  the  surrounding  countries. 

3.  Paul's    Preaching   Tours    (Acts   13:1-21:16). 
This   takes   up  the  life  of  Paul   from   the   time  lie 

was    set    apart    for    his    work    until    his    last    visit    to 
Jerusalem  at   the  (lose  of  his  third  tour. 

4.  Paul's   Imprisonment  Work    (Acts  21:  17-28:  30). 

We  have  here  an  account  of  his  five  years'  impris- 
onment, which  occupies  the  latter  one-fourth  of  the 
book. 


BOOK    OF   ACTS  47 

IV.    THE  PURPOSE  OF  THE  BOOK 

That  must  be  the  main  purpose  of  an  author  to 
which  he  devotes  the  most  space  and  to  which  all 
other  facts  used  sustain  a  subordinate  relation.  In 
studying  the  Book  of  Acts  we  find  that  most  of  the 
book  is  occupied  in  giving  detailed  accounts  of  con- 
versions to  Christ  and  of  attempts  at  the  same  that 
were  unsuccessful.  If  we  should  take  from  this  book 
all  of  the  records  of  conversions,  together  with  the 
facts  and  incidents  preparatory  to  and  consequent 
upon  each,  we  would  have  very  little  left. 

1.  Chapter  1  shows  how  the  apostles  were  pre- 
pared for  their  work  of  converting  men. 

2.  The  second  chapter  tells  of  the  converting  of 
three  thousand    people. 

3.  The  third  chapter  gives  an  account  of  the  con- 
version of  many  people,  followed  by  the  arrest  and 
trial  of  Peter  and  John,  caused  by  these  conversions. 

4.  Chapters  4-7  tell  about  the  persecution  that  grew 
out  of  opposition  to  these  conversions. 

5.  Chapters  8,  9,  10  are  devoted  to  the  conversions 
of  the  Samaritans,  the  Ethiopian  eunuch,  Paul  and 
Cornelius. 

6.  Chapter  11  is  devoted  mainly  to  an  account  of 
the  establishment  of  the  church  in  Antioch  through 
the  conversion  of  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  there. 

7.  Chapter  12  shows  the  benevolence  of  the  new 
converts  and  gives  an  account  of  another  persecution 
in  Jerusalem. 

8.  Chapters  18  and  14  record  the  conversions  cm 
Paul's  first  missionary  tour. 


18  I  Hi:    NEW     TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

9.  Chapter  15  describes  Uie  controversy  about  cir- 
cumcision, which  grew  out  of  conversions  on  Paul's 
first   tour. 

10.  Chapter  IC  is  occupied  mainly  by  the  events 
leading  to  and  immediately  connected  with  the  con- 
versions of  Lydia  and  the  Philippian  jailer. 

11.  The  conversions  in  Thessalonica  and  Berea  are 
recorded  in  chapter  17. 

L2.  The  eighteenth  chapter  tells  of  the  conversions 
.it    Corinth,   occupying  a   year  and   a   half. 

13.  The  nineteenth  chapter  gives  many  conversions 
followed    by    persecutions    in    Ephesus. 

11.  Chapters  20-28  tells  of  Paul's  last  journey  t.o 
Jerusalem,  followed  by  his  arrest,  his  attempts  to 
convert  the  Jerusalem  mob,  Felix,  Festus  and  Agrippa, 
and  his  journey  to  Rome,  where  he  puis  forth  great 
effort  to  convert  the  people  in  that  city.  Without 
question,  then,  we  see  that  the  author's  chief  pur- 
pose was  to  set  forth  a  multitude  of  conversions 
under  the  labors  of  the  apostles  and  their  coworkers 
so  that  we  may  know  how  this  work  was  accom- 
plished. The  recorded  cases  of  conversions  represent 
all  classes  and  conditions  from  the  peasants  to  the 
priests,  from  the  poor  to  the  proconsuls,  from  the  il- 
literate to  the  intellectual,  thus  showing  that  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ  adapts  itself  to  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  earth. 

V.     ITS    DATE 

This  book  is  assigned  by  many  to  the  dale  oi 
last  circumstance  mentioned  in  it.    This  circumstance 
is  that  of  Paul  abiding  "two  whole  years  in  his  own 


BOOK    OF    ACTS  49 

hired  dwelling,  and  received  all  that  went  in  unto 
him,  preaching  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  teaching 
(he  things  concerning  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  all 
boldness,  none  forbidding  him"  (Acts  28:30,  31). 
That  the  narrative  here  closes  without  telling  the 
reader  whether  Paul  was  liberated  or  put  to  death, 
leads  to  the  conclusion  that  neither  had  taken  place 
when   the   last  words  of  this  book  were  written. 

This  claim  is  "greatly  strengthened  when  we  con- 
sider it  in  connection  with  the  course  of  the  narra- 
tive in  the  last  four  chapters.  In  chapter  25  the 
writer  gives  the  account  of  Paul's  appeal  to  Caesar, 
which  broke  off  his  trial  before  Festus,  and  which  led 
to  all  the  subsequent  proceedings.  It  was  in  con- 
sequence of  this  appeal  that  Festus,  being  puzzled 
as  to  what  report  he  should  send  to  the  emperor  with 
the  prisoner,  brought  his  case  to  the  attention  of 
Agrippa,  and  also  brought  Paul  himself  before  this 
young  king  (Acts  25:  12,  26,  27).  He  was  sent  upon 
the  voyage  described  in  the  twenty-seventh  chapter, 
in  compliance  with  (he  law  governing  the  right  of 
appeal:  he  was  cheered  when  life  was  despaired  of 
in  the  storm  by  the  divine  message,  'Fear  not,  Paul- 
thou  must  stand  before  Caesar'  (221:  24);  his  appeal 
to  Caesar  was  the  topic  of  the  first  conversation  which 
he  held  with  the  Jews  in  the  city  of  Rome  (28:  17 
1"9);  and  he  was  kept  in  prison  two  w^ole  years 
awaiting  his  trial.  Now,  if  his  trial  before  Caesar  had 
taken  place  when  this  book  was  completed,  whether 
it  resulted  in  acquittal  or  conviction,  it  is  unaccount- 
able that  the  book  was  closed  without  a  word  on  the 
subject.     This   would    have    been,   not   a  mere   omis- 


50  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    (HURCH 

sion,  like  many  others  which  we  know  to  have  oc- 
curred in  the  course  of  the  narrative — the  omission 
of  matters  the  mention  of  which  was  not  required  by 
the  historical  context — but  the  omission  of  the  cul- 
minating fact  to  which  a  long  series  of  events  pre- 
viously mentioned  led  forward,  and  concerning  which 
the  writer  had  deliberately  awakened  the  curiosity 
of  his  reader.  It  would  be  like  a  drama  in  which 
the  deepest  interest  in  the  sequel  of  the  plot  is  ex- 
cited, but  which  closes  just  at  the  point  when  the 
sequel  would  have  been  the  next  and  the  last  thing 
to  be  witnessed.  Or,  more  pointedly  still,  it  would 
be  like  the  story  of  a  noted  trial,  which  would  give 
the  arrest  of  the  prisoner,  his  transportation  from 
a  distant  country  to  the  place  of  trial,  the  incidents 
of  a  long  imprisonment  leading  up  to  the  very  day 
of  the  trial,  and  then  closing  without  a  word  about 
the  trial  itself.  Such  a  narrative  was  never  writ- 
ten, unless  it  were  some  fictitious  story  thus  closing 
for  the  very  purpose  of  tantalizing  its  readers.  Such 
a  close  to  a  serious  and  truthful  history  is  unheard 
of"  (McGarvry) .  The  natural  inference  then  is  that 
Luke  wrote  the  last  of  his  book  just  at.  the  end  of 
the  close  of  the  two  whole  years  which  he  mentions. 
This   would   make   the  date  about   A.  D.   63. 

VI.    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  BOOK 

1.  A  Continuation  of  <li«'  Gospel  According  1<> 
Luke. —  in  the  Book  of  Acts.  Luke  introduces  his 
work  as  a  continuation  of  previous  history.  What 
Jesus  began  to  tlo  and  to  teach,  he  now  goes  on  to 
do  and  to  teach   (Acts  1:1). 


BOOK    OF    ACTS  51 

2.  A  Great  Missionary  Book. — The  Book  of  Acts 
tells  about  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  the  "utter- 
most parts,"  as  well  as  in  Jerusalem,  Judea  and  Sa- 
maria. This  book  shows  how  the  gospel  was  "'put 
to  the  test"  and  proven  to  be  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation. 

3.  A  Manual  of  Church  History. — Dr.  Schaff  has 
well  said,  "The  Book  of  Acts  is  the  best  as  well  as 
the  first  manual  of  church  history."  It  tells  of  the 
beginning  of  the  church,  of  the  emancipation  of  Chris- 
tianity from  Judaism,  and  of  its  various  trials  and 
triumphs    during   its   first    thirty    years. 

i.  A  Gospel  of  the  Holy  Spirit. — Dr.  Plumptre  sug- 
gestively calls  the  Book  of  Acts  the  "Gospel  of  the 
Holy  Spirit."  In  bringing  about  the  conversions  and 
directing  the  labors  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Acts,  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  the  principal  actor.  It  is  "undoubtedly 
a  secondary,  if  not  a  co-ordinate  purpose  with  the 
author,  to  show  how  this  divine  power  was  exerted 
in  compliance  with  the  oft-repeated  promise  of  our 
Lord."  The  main  body  of  the  book  opens  with  an 
account  of  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  from 
the  first  to  the  last  it  sets  forth  the  work  of  the 
apostles  and  their  colaborers  as  being  ever  directed 
by  the  Spirit  who  dwelt  within  them. 

5.  The  Book  Hinges  Around  Peter  and  Paul. — 
In  the  events  preceding  the  conversion  of  Paul,  Peter 
is  the  leader.  It  is  very  natural  that  he  should  figure 
prominently  in  that  part  of  the  narrative,  as  he  was 
the  one  who  was  given  the  "keys  of  the  kingdom" 
(Matt.  16:  19),  and  was  thus  to  be  the  leader  at  the 
beginning  and   during  the  early  experiences  of  the 


52  THE    NEW     TESTAMEN1     CHURCH 

Church.  Pete-,  through  the  conversion  of  Cornelius, 
opens  the  door  of  the  church  to  the  Gentile  world. 
Following  this  lie  drops  hack  in  the  standpoint  of 
leadership,  and  Paul  comes  forward  as  the  chosen 
apostle  to  the  Gentile  people. 

"Peter,  among  his  own  people,  in  the  presence  of 
a  mixed,  and,  at  fust,  in  a  great  part  unsympathetic, 
audience,  before  authorities  bent  on  suppressing  his 
testimony,  and  armed  with  full  power  for  his  de- 
struction, preaching,  working,  anxiously  meditating, 
drawn  onward  to  new  developments,  at  first  reluc- 
tantly, with  mental  struggles  and  perplexity,  but, 
when  once  convinced,  acting  promptly  and  decisively, 
meeting  persecution  unto  the  death  fearlessly,  candid 
in  estimating  the  conduct,  generous  in  supporting 
the  position  of  an  apostle  in  whom  a  common  man 
would  have  recognized  an  opponent  and  a  rival.  Paul, 
standing  on  the  same  level  of  nobleness,  but  gifted 
with  transcendent  mental  powers,  with  passions  both 
before  and  after  conversion  far  more  easily  excited, 
called  on  to  bear  witness  to  truth  once  hated  before 
the  representatives  of  all  that  was  evil  or  prejudiced, 
ignorant  or  haughtily  intellectual,  sensual  or  arro- 
gant, ignoble  or  noble,  in  the  ancient  world:  on  all 
circumstances  showing  the  same  fundamental  char- 
acter, stern,  zealous,  unshakable,  but  adapting  him- 
self to  all  circumstances  with  a  versatility  and  power 
of  adaptation  so  marvelous  as  to  have  supplied  cava- 
liers with  their  most  effective  weapons  of  assault, 
but  such  as  supply  candid  and  earnest  students  with 
nia! dials  for  realizing  a  character  unrivaled  in  its 
influence  upon  all  regions  of  spiritual  life  and  thought." 


BOOK    OF    ACTS  53 

(J.  This  Book  Shows  the  Value  of  Persecutions. — 

As  the  direct  result  of  the  preaching  of  Stephen,  the 
first  persecution  broke  out.  Stephen  himself  was  the 
first  Christian  martyr.  His  blood  was  indeed  the  seed 
of  the  church.  Following  soon  after  Stephen's  death 
the  second  persecution  broke  out,  when  James,  the 
brother  of  John,  was  beheaded  by  Herod  (Acts  12: 
1,  2),  and  when  Peter  was  imprisoned  and  miracu- 
lously delivered  (Acts  12:  3-19).  The  wind  of  perse- 
cution carried  the  seed  of  the  gospel  into  all  lands. 
See  Acts  5:  17-33;    7:  54-60;    8:  1-5. 

7.  Christianity  Often  Spoken  of  as  "The  Way." 
— Christianity  soon  came  to  be  looked  upon  as  a 
mode  of  life,  and  not  simply  a  theory  or  philosophy 
or  creed.  Christianity  was  called  "The  Way."  Saul, 
the  pitiless  persecutor,  went  down  to  Damascus  de- 
termined "that  if  he  found  any  that  were  of  the  Way, 
whether  men  or  women,  he  might  bring  them  bound 
to  Jerusalem"  (Acts  9:  2).  When  Paul  was  preach- 
ing in  Ephesus  he  says  that  some  people  spoke  evil 
of  "The  Way"  (Acts  19:  9).  See  also  in  this  con- 
nection Acts  19:  23;   22:  4;   24:  22. 

8.  A  World-wide  Religion.— In  the  Book  of  Acts 
we  learn  that  Christianity,  instead  of  being  a  Jew- 
ish sect,  becomes  a  world-wide  religion.  "Limited 
views  of  God's  mercy  melted  away  as  the  scope  and 
spirit  of  Christianity  became   understood." 

9.  The  Book  of  Conversions. — The  most  evident 
characteristic  of  the  Book  of  Acts  is  expressed  by 
the  one  word  conversion.  The  reader  will  feel  this 
more  keenly  by  looking  up  the  following  records  of 
conversions: 


54  THE    \i:\V     TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

i  i  )  Three  thousand   on  the   day  of  Pentecost    (2: 
36-47). 

(2')  The  Samaritans  (8:  12). 

(3)  The  Ethiopian  eunuch    (8:27-40). 

(4)  Saul  of  Tarsus  (9:  1-19). 

(5)  Cornelius  and  his  household   (10:  1-48). 

(6)  Lydia  (16:  14-16). 

(7)  The  jailer  at  Philippi    (16:  25-34). 

TOPICS    FOR    HOME    STUDY   AND    CLASS    DIS- 
CUSSION 

1.  Reasons  for  believing  the  Book  of  Acts  to  have 
been  written  by  Luke. 

2.  The  relation  of  Luke  to  Paul. 

3.  The  sources  of  Luke's  information. 

4.  The  divisions  of  the  Book  of  Acts. 

5.  Give   the  purpose  of  the  hook. 

6.  The  relation  of  the  third   Gospel  and   Hie   Book 
of  Acts. 

7.  The  appropriateness  of  calling  Acts  ihe    Cospel 
of  the  Holy  Spirit." 

8.  Two  men   that   figure  most    largely    in    Ihis  hook. 

9.  Name  two  good-  results  of  persecution. 

10.  The    appropriateness    of    calling    Christianity 
'The  Way." 

11.  Why    do    we    call    Acts    the    "Book    of    Conver- 
sions"? 

RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 

Use  Questions   86   to  91'.   inclusive,  in  the  back  of 
this  book. 


REVIEW  55 

BLACKBOARD   OUTLINE 


THE  PURPOSE:    TO  SHOW    HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS 
FOR  CHRIST. 

(I.    Disc.  Of  Apos.  These  fit  Luke 

Facts  About!  2.  Gen.  Chris.  inese  nt  L,uke. 

the     Author  )  3.  Comp.  of  Paul.       Thev  do  not  fit  Barnabas, 
i.4.    Man  of  Culture.        Silas,  Timothy,  Titus. 
(  ]_   Paul. 
Sources  (  ./   Phut'tile  evang.  and  others. 

(I.   Ch.  in  Jerus. 

Divisions  ''  2*   Ch*  in  Trans- 
divisions  ,  3_   Pau,!s  Pre>  Tours. 

1.4.  Paul's  Impris.  Wo. 

I  1,   Cont.  Gos.  Ac.  to  Luke. 

2.  Gre.  Miss.  Bk. 

3.  Man.  Ch.  Hist. 
|  4.  Gos.  Ho.  Spi. 

Characteristics-;  5.   Bk.  Hi.  Ar.  Pe.  and  Pa. 
C.  Sho.  Val.  Pers. 

Chris.  Spo.  "The  Way." 
W-w.  Religion. 
19.  Bk.  Conv. 


LESSON   VII. 

Review 


In    the    Review,    use    Questions    1-1)2    inclusive,    in 
the  back  of  this  book. 


56  THE   NEW    TEBTAMEN1     CHURCH 

LESSON   VIII. 

The    New    Testament    Church    and   the 

Name 

I.     SCRIPTURAL   NAMES 

1.  Individual    Believers    were   Called: 

(1)  Disciples.      The    word    means    a   learner. 

"II"  any  man  cornet!)  to  rue  and  bateth  nol  his  >>wn  fa- 
ther, and  mother,  and  wife,  and  children,  and  brethren,  and 
sisters,  vea,  and  his  own  life  also,  be  can  ool  be  my  dis- 
ciple"   (Luke  14  :  1'ii). 

"And  as  they  were  eating,  Jesus  took  bread,  and  blessed, 
and  bra!  •  it  :  and  be  gave  to  the  disciples,  and  said,  Take, 
eat:   this  i s  mj    body"   (Man.  20:26). 

(2)  Brethren.  This  term  has  reference  to  the 
fraternal    relationship   among  the   disciples. 

"Hut  be  not  ye  called  Rabbi  :  for  one  is  your  teacher, 
and  all  ye  are  brethren"   (Matt.  23:8). 

"This  saying  therefore  went  forth  among  the  brethren, 
that    thai   dfsciple  should  not  die"    (John  21  :  23). 

(3)  Christians.  This  term,  of  course,  is  derived 
from  the  word  Christ. 

"And  It  came  t  i  pass  that  even  for  a  whole  year  they 
were  gathered  together  i  Ith  the  church;  and  taught  much 
people:  and  t!  ;t  the  disciples  wei  •  called  christians  first 
in    Antioch"    I  Acts    11  :  26). 

"And  Agrippa  said  unto  Paul.  With  bu1  little  persuasion 
thou  wouldest   ;  iin  make  me  a  Christian"   (Acts  26:  -8). 

"But  if  a  man  suffer  as  a  Christian,  let  him  nol  be 
ashamed:  but  let  him  glorify  Cod  In  this  name"  (l  Pet. 
•!  :  16). 

2.  An    Organization    of    Disciples   was   Called: 

(1)  A  Church.  The  word  means  "the  called  out," 
With   "from   the    world"   implied. 

'And  I  P.isn  say  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  rock  i  will  build  my  church;  and  tne  gates  of  Hades 
shall  not  prevail  against  it"   (Matt.   10:18). 


THE    NAME  57 

(2)  Churches  of  Christ. 

"Salute  one  another  with  a  holy  kiss.  All  the  churches 
of    Christ    salute  you"    (Horn.    10:16). 

(3)  Church  of  God. 

"Unto  the  church  of  God  which  is  r.t  Corinth,  even  them 
that  are  sanctified  in  Christ  Jesus,  called  to  he  saints,  with 
all  that  call  upon  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
every  place,  their  Lord  and  ours"   (1  ('or.   1  :  2). 

(4)  Church  of  the  Lord. 

"Take  heed  unto  yourselves,  and  to  all  the  flock  which 
he  purchased  with  his  own  Wood"    (Acts   20:28). 

3.  Jesus  Spej "      of  the  Church  as  "My"  Church: 

"Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church"    (Matt.  16:18). 

Repentance    and     remission     of     sins     are     to     be 

preached   in  Christ's  name. 

"And  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  lie 
preached  in  his  name  unto  all  the  nations,  beginning  from 
Jerusalem"    (Luke    24:47). 

4.  Believers  are  to  be  Baptized  in  Christ's  Name. 

"And  Peter  said  unto  them,  Repent  ,ve,  and  be  bap- 
tized every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto 
the  remission  of  your  sins;  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift 
of  the   Holy  Spirit"    (Acts   2:38). 

5.  Salvation   is  in  His  Name. 

"And  in  none  other  is  there  salvation  :  for  neither  is 
there  any  other  name  under  heaven,  that  is  given  among 
men,  wherein   we  must  be  saved"    (Acts  4  :  12). 

II.     THE  HARM  OF   WEARING  OTHER  THAN 
SCRIPTURAL  NAMES 

1.  Party  Names  are  Contrary  to  Scripture. 

"Now  this  I  mean,  that  each  one  of  you  saitb.  1  am 
of  Paul:  and  I  of  Apollos ;  and  I  of  Cephas;  and  1  of 
Christ"    ( 1    ('or.    l  :  12). 

In  this  passage  Paul  chides  the  Christiana  at  Cor- 
inth  for  wearing   other   names   Ihan   that  of  Christ. 


58  THE    NEW     TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

We  must  remember  that  it  is  possible  to  use  the 
name  "Christian"  is  a  sectarian  way.  This  spirit  is 
also  condemned    by   the  apostle. 

2.  Parly  Names  .Make  and  Perpetuate  Divisions. 

— Party  names  serve  to  create  and  perpetuate  divi 
sions  in  the  church.  Divisions  are  wrong,  and  any- 
thing that  tends  to  foster  them  is  wrung  and  should 
be  condemned.  These  different  names  form  a  seri 
ous  obstacle  to  Christian  union.  A  great  many  peo 
•pie  do  not  know  the  doctrines  that  separate  one 
church  from  another,  but  they  do  know  the  names 
are  different  and  they  do  not  want  to  give  them  up. 
Recently  a  soliciting  committee  for  a  church-build- 
ing enterprise  approached  a  business  man  in  a  cer- 
tain city  in  Ohio  and  asked  him  for  $100.  He  said 
that  he  thought  $100  was  too  small  an  offering  for 
such  an  enterprise,  and  that  if  they  would  honor 
Christ  by  naming  the  church  "Church  of  Christ," 
he  would  make  the  offering  $500.  They  were  un- 
able  to   make    the   arrangement. 

:i.  The  Great  Reformers  Condemned  Unscrip- 
tnral  Names. — The  great  reformers  of  the  church, 
for  whom  many  of  our  great  churches  have  been 
named,  have  been  foremost  in  condemning  the  prac- 
tice. "I  pray  yon,"  said  Luther,  "do  not  call  your- 
selves Lutherans,  but  Christians.  Cease  to  cling  to 
these  party  names  and  distinctions."  "Would  to 
God,"  said  Wesley,  "that  all  sectarian  names  were 
forgotten."  A  distinguished  preacher  said  before 
the  American  Board,  "I  have  not  a  dollar  to  spare 
in  making  Congregationalists,  but  who  would  not 
give    to   mission    work   to   make    Christians?"     The 


THE    NAME  59 

name  "Christian"  is  the  one  name  all  would  be  will- 
ing to  wear.  We  can  not  all  belong  to  this  denomi- 
nation nor  to  that  one,  but  we  can  all  be  simply 
Christians.  If  the  Christian  life  makes  us  happier 
and  more  useful,  give  Christ  the  honor  by  wearing 
his  name. 

SOME  REFERENCE  BOOKS 

Sermons,  by  Charles  Reign  Scoville,  Chapter  III.; 
Campaigning  for  Christ,  by  J.  V.  Coombs,  Part  II., 
page  49;  First  Principles,  by  M.  M.  Davis,  "The 
Name,"  page  201. 

TOPICS   FOR   HOME   STUDY   AND   CLASS 
DISCUSSION 

1.  The  significance  of  the  word  disciple.  (Let 
the  one  who  discusses  this  quote  at  least  three  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  where  this  name  is  used  for  the 
followers   of   Christ.) 

2.  The  significance  of  the  word  brethren.  (Give 
a  Scripture  where  the  name  is  used  in  reference  to 
the  disciples  of  Christ.) 

3.  The  significance  of  the  word  Christian,  -ind  its 
use  in  the  New  Testament  Scriptures. 

4.  Is  it.  proper  to  say  '•disciple  church" f    Why  not? 

5.  Is  it  Scriptural  to  write  the  phrase  "disciples 
of  Christ"  with   a  big  D? 

6.  Scriptural  names  for  the  organization  of  the 
followers  of  Christ. 

7.  The  religious  bodies  to-day  that  place  upon  their 
local  churches  unscriptural   names. 


60  THE.    Xi:\\     TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

8.  What,  the  Scriptures  have  to  say  concerning  un- 
scriptural    names. 

9.  The  harm   of   wearing   unscriptural   names. 

10.  The  value  of  wearing  Scriptural   names. 

RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 

Use  Questions  93  to  107.  inclusive,   in  hack  of  this 
book. 

BLACKBOARD    OUTLINE 


I.   SCRIPTURAL  NAMES.        II.    UNSCRIPTURAL  NAMES. 
i    ti,h     (  '•  Disciples. 

of  Disc.  (.,_  (.h    ()f  ,h(,  ,, 


2.  Make  and  Perpet.  Div. 
jord. 
3.  Jes.  Sp.  of  Ch.  as  "my  Oh."        3.  Gr.  Ref.  Cond.  Them. 


* 


LESSON  IX. 

The   New   Testament   Church   and   the 

Creed 

I.     THE   MEANING    OF   THE   WORD 

The  word  "creed"  comes  'from  the  Latin  "credo," 
"I  believe;''  hence  a  man';  creed  is  what  he  believes. 

II.     ITS   IMPORTANCE 

The  question  of  i  reed  is  one  of  great  importance. 
for  the  creed  dominates  the  life.  He  who  says  i'. 
does  not  matter  what  a  man  believes  so  he  lives 
right,  is  entirely   ignoranl    of  the   relation   of  man'.; 


THE    CREED  61 

convictions  and  actions.  No  man  will  rise  higher 
than  his  creed.  If  his  creed  be  faulty,  he  will  imi- 
tate its  faults.  If  his  creed  be  perfect,  he  will  ever 
be  nearing  perfection. 

III.     CHRIST   THE   CREED 

The  Christian's  creed,  the  one  thing  all  are  asked 
to  believe,  and  about  which  there  is  to  be  no  differ- 
ence of  opinion,  is  found  in  the  Bible.  Concerning 
other  truths,  great  liberty  of  'opinion  is  allowed,  but 
concerning  this  there  is  to  be  no  diversity  of  belief. 
It  is  the  point  where  the  Christian  and  the  non- 
Christian  separate.  Peter  gives  voice  to  this  creed 
in  reply  to  the  Lord's  question  at  Cresarea  Philippi: 
"Whom  say  ye  that  I  am?"  (Matt.  16:  15).  Peter  re- 
plies, "Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God."  This  is  indeed  the  creed  of  the  Christian 
Church.  "Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than 
that  which  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ"  (1  Cor. 
3:11).  Those  who  would  lay  other  foundations, 
such  as  the  Nicene  Creed,  the  Westminster  Confes- 
sion of  Faith,  or  the  Discipline,  threaten  the  ruin 
of  the  superstructure.  In  Bumming  up  the  purpose 
of  the  fourth  Gospel,  we  have  these  words:  "Many 
other  signs  therefore  did  Jesus  in  the  presence  of 
the  disciples,  which  are  not  written  in  this  book; 
but  these  are  written'  that  ye  may  believe  thai  Jesus 
is  the  Christ,  the  Ron  of  Cod:  and  thai  believing  ye 
.may  have  life  in  bis  name"  (John  20:  30,  3.1).  Again, 
Paul,  tbe  bearer  of  thr  gospel  to  the  Gentiles,  say?, 
"I  determined  not  to  Know  anything  among  you,  uave 
Jesus  Christ,  ami  him  crucified"   (1  Cor.  2:  2).    Thus 


62  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    (HUNCH 

in  all  the  Bible  it  is  not,  "Do  you  believe  in  this 
human  creed  or  in  that  confession  of  faith?"  but,  "Do 
you  believe  thai  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God?"  [f  a  man  preaches  Jesus,  he  preaches  the 
faith.  It'  he  does  not  preach  Jesus,  he  does  not 
preach  the  faith;  hence  that  person  whom  we  must 
preach  and  that  one  in  whom  we  must  believe  is 
Jesus  Christ — he  is  the  creed  of  tin-  New  Testament 
church. 

IV.  THE  GREATNESS  OF  THIS  CREED 

1.  This  (iced  is  Simple. — The  youth,  as  soon  as 
he  is  old  enough  to  know  right  from  wrong,  can 
know  Him  and  love  Him.  The  uneducated  can  ac- 
cepl    Him  and  trust  Him. 

2.  This  (reed  is  Profound. — He  is  master  of 
masters.  The  deepest  m,ind  can  not  fathom  its 
depth. 

.'?.  This  Creed  is  Comprehensive. — Tt  includes  the 
great  truths  concerning  God,  his  relation  to  man, 
and   man's   relation   to  man. 

4.  This  Creed  is  Divine. — It  is  God  manifest  in 
the  flesh.  This  meets  the  inherent  demands  of  the 
soul. 

.">.  This  <rced  is  u  Pattern. — Christ  is  our  ideal. 
We  become  like  the  tilings  we  worship. 

(J.  This  Creed  is  Capable  of  Bringing  Out  the 
Pest  There  is  in  Our  Lives. — Cnder  Christ's  influ- 
ence the  best  lives  are  developed,  the  greatest  joys 
realized,   and   the   highest    destiny   secured. 

7.  This  Creed  i-.  Universal. — All  admit  that,  what- 
ever we  preach,  we,  as  Christians,  must  preach  Jesus 


THE    CREED  63 

Christ.  He  will  attract  the  scientific  mind  as  well 
as  the  imaginative  and  practical.  We  are  on  com- 
mon ground  when  we  kneel  at  his  feet. 

8.  This  Creed  is  Perfect. — It  is  one  that  needs 
no  revision.  It  has  been  held  over  the  blaze  of  criti- 
cism, but  no  flaws  have  been  found.  The  highest 
intellects  can  suggest  no  improvements.  Pilate's  an- 
swer is  universal:   "I  find  no  fault  in  him." 

A  word  to  you,  dear  reader:  Can  Christ  find  any 
unacknowledged  faults  in  you? 

TOPICS    FOR    DISCUSSION 

1.  The  relation  of  a  man's  creed  and  his  actions. 

2.  Discuss  the  statement  so  often  heard,  "It  mat- 
ters not  what  a  man  believes,  so  he  lives  right." 

3.  The  creed  of  the  New  Testament  church. 

4.  How  human  creeds  have  grown  up. 

5.  How  human  creeds  have  retarded  the  progress 
of  the  church. 

6.  The  disuse  of  human  creeds  to-day,  giving  rea- 
sons for  the  same. 

7.  The  great  value  of  having  a  personality  as  a 
creed    rather   than    a    man-made   statement    of   faith. 

8.  The  so-called  "Apostles'  Creed:"  why  it  can  not 
be  the  creed  of  Hie  New  Testament  church. 

RAPID-FIRE    DRILL 

Use  Questions  108  to  112.  inclusive,  in  the  back  of 
this  book. 

SOME   REFERENCE   BOOKS 

The  Great  Salvation,  by  E.  V.  Zollars,  Chapter  II. 
of    Appendix;     Campaigning    for    Christ,    by    J.    V. 


64  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

Coombs,  Pari  li.,  page  IT:  From  Darkness  to  Light, 
by  various  authors,  "Prom  Man-made  ('reeds  to  the 
(3od-given  Creed,"  pages  L07-9. 


BLACKBOARD 

OUTLINE 

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♦ 

LESSON   X. 

The    New   Testament   Church   and 

Conversion 

I.     PRESENT   CONFUSION   ON   THE   SUBJECT 

1.  Cause  of  the  Confusion. — There  is  considerable 

confusion  in  the  minds  of  many  Christians  on  this 
subject.  Nol  many,  we  tear,  would  he  able  to  define 
conversion  intelligently.  Surely  an  experience  so  vi- 
tal to  the  Christian  life  and  essential  to  salvation, 
should  be  easily  understood.  The  present  confusion 
is  due  to  labored  efforts  to  explain  this  change  in 
a  person's  life.  It  is  simple  enough  if  the  Bible  be 
allowed    to  speak    I'  r   itself. 

2.  Conversion  Nol  Miraculous. — An  effort  has 
been  made  to  surround  conversion  with  consider- 
able mystery  and  super  naturalism.  When  the  tans 
are   considered,   the  experience  will    be   found   analo- 


CONVERSION  65 

gous  to  many  other  experiences  of  our  common  life. 
Conversion  is  not  miraculous.  It  is  not  something 
done  for  us  or  upon  us  in  some  mysterious  way.  We 
shall  presently  see  that  all  the  steps  in  conversion 
are  to  be  taken,  and  must  be  taken,  by  the  individ- 
ual himself.  It  is  not  something  done  for  him,  but 
something  he  does  for  himself. 

3.  What  Conversion  is  Not. — Conversion  is  not 
necessarily  emotional.  "Feeling"  is  no  essential  part 
of  conversion.  There  are  many  people  waiting  for 
some  peculiar  "feeling"  as  evidence  of  conversion. 
Others  have  experienced  feelings  and  have  taken 
them  as  evidence  of  conversion,  who  are  very  far 
from  the  kingdom.  The  fallacy  lies  just  here,  a 
peculiar  emotional  experience  is  no  essential  part  of 
conversion. 

II.     MEANING   OF   CONVERSION 

1.  Explained  by  the  Scripture. — The  Revised  Ver- 
sion saves  us  the  trouble  of  explaining  the  word 
"convert." 

"Repent  ye  therefore,  and  turn  again,  that  your  sins 
may  be  blotted  out.  that  so  there  may  come  seasons  of  re- 
freshing from  the  presence  of  the  Lord"    (Acts  3:19). 

In  King  James'  Version  we  have  "be  converted:' 
in  the  Revised  Version  we  have  "turn  again."  The 
word  is  almost  equivalent  to  our  expression,  "Right 
about  face."  Can  anything  be  plainer  than  that?  Is 
your  face  and  life  turned  away  from  God,  then  turn 
toward  him;   that  is  conversion. 

2.  The  Steps. — The  steps  in  conversion  have  some- 
times been  described   as  follows: 


66  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

(1)  A  change  of  mind.  Having  once  disbelieved, 
the  individual,  by  hearing  or  reading  the  Word, 
changes  his  mind  and  believes. 

(2)  A  change  of  will.  Having  loved  the  things  of 
this  world,  the  sinner  determines  or  wills  to  trans- 
fer his  affections  to  spiritual  things.  This  change 
of  will  is  called  repentance.  Belief  in  Jesus  and  re- 
pentance is  made  known  by  confession.  The  prodigal 
said,  "I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father." 

(3)  A  change  of  state.  Formerly  being  dead  in 
sin,  the  individual  is  now  quickened  by  faith  in  and 
repentance  toward  Christ.  This  change  is  beautifully 
symbolized  by   baptism. 

(4)  The  result  is  a  change  of  life.  The  whole  life 
is  changed,  converted,  turned  again.  The  fruits  of 
the  life  are  indications  of  this  change. 

"By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them.  Do  men  gather 
grapes  of  thorns   or  figs  of  thistles?"    (Matt.   7:16). 

"But  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long- 
suffering,  kindness,  goodness,  faithfullness,  meekness,  self- 
control  ;  against  such  there  is  no  law"   (Gal.  5:22,  23). 

III.     SCRIPTURE  CASES   OF  CONVERSION 

Keeping  in  mind  the  foregoing  suggestions,  stu- 
dents are  requested  to  study  carefully  the  following 
cases  of  conversion  with  the  aid  of  the  analysis.  The 
first  reference  is  the  great  commission. 


CONWRSION 


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C8  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

SOME  REFERENCE   BOOKS 

First  Principles,  by  M.  M.  Davis,  Chapters  VII., 
Villi.,  IX.,  XL;  Campaigning  for  Christ,  by  J.  V. 
Coombs,  "Confession,"  page  48;  "Repentance,"  page 
167,  and  "What  Must  I  Do  to  be  Saved?"  page  164; 
Sermons,  by  Charles  Reign  Scoville,  Chapter  VII.; 
The  Gospel  Preacher,  by  Benjamin  Franklin,  Vol.  I., 
Sermons  II.,  VI.,  XIV.;  Vol.  II.,  Sermon  IV;  Seek- 
ing the  Old  Paths,  by  Robert  Moffett,  Chapters  XII., 
XIV.  and  XV.;  The  Great  Salvation,  by  E.  V.  Zollars, 
Chapters  VI.,  VII.  and  VIII.;  From  Darkness  to  Light, 
by  various  authors,  "How  Does  a  Man  Get  Religion'" 
page  34;  "The  Confusion  Brought  About  by  the 
Mourner's  Bench,"  page  32;  "The  Unscripturalness 
of  "Roman  Catholicism,'  "  pages  79-88;  "The  Story  of 
How  I  Came  to  Christ,"  pages  113-120;  "The  Value  of 
Having  a  Definite  Answer  when  One  "Wants  to  be  a 
Christian,"  pages  197-203. 

TOPICS   FOR  HOME  STUDY  AND  CLASS 
DISCUSSION 

1.  Why  there  is  so  much  confusion  concerning  con- 
version. 

2.  How  may  a  man  know  that  he  is  converted? 

3.  What  does  the  word  "convert"  mean? 

4.  Give  a  description  of  the  conversion  of  the 
three  thousand  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  (Acts  2: 
14-42). 

5.  Give  an  account  of  the  conversion  of  the  Ethio- 
pian eunuch    (Acts  8:  2«-40). 

6.  Give  an  account  ot  the  conversion  of  Paul  (Acts 
9:  22,  26). 


BAPTISM  69 

7.  Name  and  describe  the  steps  in  conversion. 
S.  Discuss  the  "mourner's-bench"  or  "anxious-seat" 
plan. 

9.  Why   should   an   invitation    to  accept  Christ  be 
given  when  each  gospel  message  is  preached? 

10.  The  value  of  having  definite  Scriptural  answers 
for  those  seeking  to  become  Christians. 

RAPID-FIRE    DRILL 

Use  Questions  IIP.  to  122,  inclusive,  in  the  back  of 
this  book. 

BLACKBOARD    OUTLINE 


I.   PRES.  CONFUSION.  II.     MEANING  OF  CON- 

1.  Cause  of  conf.  VERSION. 

2.  Conv.  not  Mirac.  1.  Ex.  by  Scripture. 

3.  What  conv.  is  not.  2.  The  Steps. 

III.    SCRIP.  CASES  OF  CONVERSION. 


*- 


LESSON   XI. 

The   New   Testament   Church   and 
Baptism 

There  are  two  ordinances  observed  by  the  New 
Testament  church — baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper. 
The  former  is  to  be  observed  only  once  by  every 
Christian;  the  latter  is  to  be  observed  every  first  day 
of  the  week. 

I.     THE   PLACE   OF   CHRISTIAN   BAPTISM 

1.  Baptism  is  in  the  Great  Commission. 

"Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  na- 
tions,  baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of 


70  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit :  teaching  them  to  observe 
all  things  whatsoever  I  commanded  you  :  and  lo,  I  am  with 
you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world"  (Matt.  28: 
19,  20). 

"Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  whole  creation.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall 
be  saved;  but  he  that  disbelieveth  shall  be  condemned" 
(Mark   16:  15,    16). 

2.  At  the  Close  of  the  First  Gospel  Sermon  Chris- 
tian Baptism  was  Commanded. 

"And  Peter  said  unto  them,  Repent  ye.  and  be  bap- 
tized every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  the 
remission  of  your  sins ;  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of 
the  Holy   Spirit"    (Acts  2:38). 

3.  Christian  Baptism  is  One  of  the  Steps  in  Be- 
coming a  Christian. 

"Repent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  remission  of  your  sins ; 
and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit"  (Acts 
2:38). 

"And  Philip  opened  his  mouth,  and  beginning  from 
this  scripture,  preached  unto  him  Jesus.  And  as  they 
went  on  the  way,  they  came  unto  a  certain  water  ;  and  the 
eunuch  saith,  Behold,  here  is  water  :  what  doth  hinder  me 
to  be  baptized?  And  he  commanded  the  chariot  to  stand 
still  :  and  they  both  went  down  into  the  water,  both  Philip 
and  the  eunuch ;  and  he  baptized  him.  And  when  they 
came  up  out  of  the  water,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  caught 
away  Philip ;  and  the  eunuch  saw  him  no  more,  for  he 
went  on  his  way  rejoicing"  (Acts  8:  35-39). 

"And  many*  of  the  Corinthians  hearing  believed,  and 
were  baptized"    (Acts  18  :  8). 

II.     FORM    OF   THE   ORDINANCE  OF   BAPTISM 

1.  Forms  Not  Mentioned. — The  New  Testament 
says  nothing  about,  forms  of  baptism. 

2.  The  Meaning  of  the  Word. — The  Greek  word 
baptizo  means  to  immerse,  to  submerge,  to  dip,  but 
no  Greek  scholar  in  any  century  ever  translated  it 
to  sprinkle,  or  to  pour. 

3.  How  the  Change  was  Made. — There  was  no  dis- 
pute in  the  New  Testament  church  about  this.    The 


BAPTISM  71 

change  in  form  originated  through  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church,  and  was  copied  by  Protestants.  Read 
history's    record. 

The  first  law  of  sprinkling  was  obtained  in  the 
following  manner:  Pope  Stephen  II.,  being  driven 
from  Rome  by  Adolphus,  King  of  Lombards,  in  753, 
fled  to  Pepin,  who,  a  short  time  before,  had  usurped 
the  crown  of  France.  While  he  remained  there  the 
monks  of  Cressy,  in  Brittany,  consulted  him,  wheth 
er,  in  case  of  necessity,  baptism  by  poairing  on  the 
head  of  an  infant  would  be  lawful.  Stephen  replied 
that  it  would,  yet  pouring  and  sprinkling  were  not 
allowed  except  in  cases  of  necessity. 

It  was  not  till  the  year  1311  that  the  legislature, 
in  a  council  held  at  Ravenna,  declared  immersion 
or  sprinkling  to  be  indifferent.  In  Scotland,  how- 
ever, sprinkling  was  never  practiced,  in  ordinary 
cases,  until  after  the  Reformation — about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  sixteenth  century.  From  Scotland  it  made 
its  way  into  England,  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  but 
was  not  authorized  in  the  Established  Church.  (Art. 
"Baptism,"   in    Edinburgh  Encyclopedia.) 

Reader,  do  you  want  to  follow  the  dictates  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  or  will  you  obey  Christ's 
command  and  observe  this  ordinance  as  Christ  Jesus 
has  given  it  to  us?  Choose  you  whom  you  will 
serve — the  Pope  or  Christ.  This  is  not  a  matter  of 
personal  preference;  it  is  a  question  of  loyalty  to 
Jesus  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God   and   our  Saviour. 


7-  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

III.     PREREQUISITES   OF   BAPTISM 
lo  Faith. 

"He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved  ;  but  he 
that  disbelieveth  shall   be  condemned"    (Mark  16:16). 

2.  Repentance. 

"Repent  ye,  and  lie  baptized  every  one  of  you  In  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  remission  of  your  sins ; 
and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit"  (Acts 
2:  38). 

3.  Confession. 

"If  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  Jesus  as  Lord, 
and  shalt  believe  in  thy  heart  that  God  raised  him  from 
the    dead,    thou    shalt   be    saved"    (Rom.    10:9). 

"Whosoever  shall  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God, 
God  abideth  in  him,  and  he  in  God"    (1  John  4:  15). 

"Every  one  therefore  who  shall  confess  me  before  men. 
him  will  I  also  confess  before  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven" 
(Matt.    10:32). 

Note. — Since  faith,  repentance  and  confession  are 
prerequisites  of  baptism,  an  infant  can  not  be  Scrip- 
turally  baptized.  Aside  from  being  impossible,  it  is 
wrong  to  even  go  through  the  form,  because  those 
who  do,  are  doing  something  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
about  which  Jesus  says  nothing,  and  for  which  he 
gives    neither    example    nor    command. 

IV.     PURPOSE   OF  BAPTISM 

1.  Not  Mere  Physical  Act. — Baptism,  coupled  with 
faith,  and  repentance,  is  for  the  remission  of  Bins. 
It  is  not  a  mere  physical  act,  but  is  always  connected 
with  the  burial  and  resurrection  of  Christ.  Viewing 
baptism  psychologically,  as  well  as  Biblically,  it  has 
a  place  in  the  Christian  lite.  (John  3:5;  Mark  16: 
16;  R«m.  6:  4,  5;  1  Pet.  3:  21.) 


BAPTISM  73 

2.  Conditions  of  Receiving  the  Gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. — After  we  have  believed  on  Jesus  Christ,  re- 
pented of  our  sins,  confessed  Christ  before  men  and 
been  baptized,  we  have  put  on  Christ,  and  then, 
and  not  until  then,  can  we  Scripturally  be  called 
Christians.  Upon  doing  this  we  receive  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

"Repent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  tbe  remission  of  your  sins; 
and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Hoiy  Spirit"  (Acts 
2:  38). 


71 


THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 


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BAPTISM  75 

SOME  REFERENCE  BOOKS 

A  Great  Cloud  of  Wit7iesses,  by  L.  C.  Wilson; 
Immersion,  by  John  T.  Christian;  On  the  Rock,  by 
David  R.  Dungan;  The  Gospel  Preacher,  by  Benjamin 
Franklin,  "The  Action  of  Baptism,"  page  149,  Vol. 
II.;  Campaigning  for  Christ,  by  J.  V.  Coombs,  Chap- 
ters III.  and  IV.,  Part  II.;  The  Great  Salvation,  by 
E.  V.  Zollars,  Chapter  IX.;  First  Principles,  by  M. 
M.  Davis,  Chapters  XII.,  XIII.  and  XIV.;  Commen- 
tary on  Acts,  by  J.  W.  McGarvey,  Part  II.,  Excursus 
A,  pages  243-262 ;  From  Darkness  to  Light,  by  va- 
rious  authors,    "Water    Salvation,"    pages    25,    26. 

TOPICS    FOR    HOME    STUDY    AND   CLASS    DIS- 
CUSSION 

1.  The  value  of  ordinances. 

2.  Compare  the  form  of  service  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment institutions  with  those  of  the  church. 

3.  The  places  of  baptism  and  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel. 

4.  Baptism   as  a  direct  command. 

5.  Why  is  the  New  Testament  silent  concerning 
so-called    forms    of   baptism? 

6.  Why  has  there  never  been  a  serious  debate  on 
the  question,   "Is  immersion  Christian  baptism?" 

7.  Name  the  prerequisites  of  Christian  baptism. 

8.  What  is   the   purpose  of  Christian  baptism? 

9.  The  origin  of  sprinkling  and  pouring? 

10.  Give  reasons  for  so-called  "infant  baptism." 

11.  Is  it  possible  to  make  too  much  of  baptism? 
How? 


76  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

11'.   Will  any   Christian  doubt    your  baptism  if  you 
have  been  immersed?     Why  not? 

13.  Will  any  Christian  doubt  your  baptism  if  you 
have  been  sprinkled? 

I  !.  Why  is  a  Christian  willing  to  risk  bis  hope  of 
eternity  on  a  doubt,  when   he  can  be  sure? 

15.   What   can   you   say   about  baptism   as  a   mere 
physical  act? 

RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 

Use   Questions   123   to   136,    inclusive,   in   the   back 
of  this  book. 

BLACKBOARD   OUTLINE 


I.    PLACE  OF  CHRIST.  BAPTISM. 

♦ 

III.    PREREQUISITES. 

1.  Great  Com. 

2.  Com.  at  cl.  of  fl.  ros.  ser. 

3.  Step  in  becom.  Christ. 

1.  Faith. 

2.  Repentance. 

3.  Confession. 

II.     FORM  OF  OHIMNAM  K. 

IV.    PURPOSE. 

1.  Ko.  not  men.                                I 

2.  Mean.  <if  wora.                        2 
8,   Bow  ch.  was  made. 

Not  mere  phys.  art. 
Con.  of  rec.  Ho.  spi. 

1 

LESSON   XII. 

The   New   Testament   Church   and   the 

Lord's   Supper 

I.     THE   NAMES 

This  ordinance  has  been  variously  called  the  Lord's 
Supper,    Eucharist,    Sacramenl    and    Communion. 

I.  "The  Lord's  Supper,"  in  honor  of  Him  who  in- 
stituted it. 


THE    LORDS    SUPPER  77 

2.  "Eucharist,"  meaning  thanksgiving,  or  an  ex- 
pression of  gratitude. 

3.  "Sacrament,"  meaning  an  oath  or  pledge. 

4.  "Communion,"  meaning  felllowship  in  which 
the  two  ideas  of  contributing  and  receiving  mingle. 

Of  these  terms,  "The  Lord's  Supper"  and  "Com- 
munion" are  the  only  ones  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. 

II.    ITS  PURPOSE 

1.  A  Memorial. — According  to  Paul,  Christ  re- 
quested that  as  often  as  the  disciples  partook  of  the 
communion,  that  they  do  it  in  remembrance  of  him. 

"In  like  manner  also  the  cup,  after  supper,  saying,  This 
cup  is  the  new  covenant  in  my  blood:  this  do,  as  often  as 
ye  drink  it,  in  remembrance  of  me." 

In  order  to  comply  with  this  request,  every  dis- 
ciple's mind  should  be  occupied  with  some  words 
of  Christ's  or  some  scene  in  his1  life  while  the  ordi- 
nance is  being  observed. 

2.  A  Communion. 

"The  cup  of  blessing  which  we  bless,  is  it  not  a  com- 
munion of  the  blood  of  Christ?  The  bread  which  we  break, 
is  it  not  a  communion  of  the  body  of  Christ?"  (1  Cor. 
10:  16). 

It  is  not  a  communion  with  one  another,  but  with 
Christ.  The  idea  of  fellowship  is  emphasized  by  the 
marginal  reading  of  the  American  Revised  Version. 
"A  participation  in."  Evidently  the  thought  in  Paul's 
mind  is,  that  in  this  ordinance  we  enter  into  sym- 
pathetic fellowship  with  Christ  in  all  his  efforts  for 
man's  salvation.  It  means  that  we  accept  these 
blessings  for  ourselves,  and  we  are  ready  to  join 
him  in  carrying  them  to  others. 


7S  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

3.  To  Fortify  Character. — In  the  faithful  observ- 
ance of  this  institution  as  a  memorial  and  com- 
munion, Christian  character  is  established.  This 
certainly  is  the  inevitable  result  of  a  constantly  re- 
freshed memory  and  a  permanent  realization  of  the 
incalculable  benefits  of  Christ's  life,  death  and  res- 
urrection. 

By  an  abuse  of  the  ordinance  there  were  some  who 
were  sick,  and  some  had  even  died  in  the  time  of 
Paul.  It  can  be  safely  said  that  by  the  abuse  of 
spiritual  things  the  spiritual  life  is  impoverished. 

III.     WHO   ARE   ELIGIBLE  TO  PARTAKE 

1.  All  Christians. — Compare  1  Cor.  11:  23  and 
1  Cor.  1:1,  2. 

"For  I  received  of  the  Lord  that  which  also  I  delivered 
unto  you,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the  night  in  which  he 
was  betrayed  took  bread"    (1   Cor.   11 :  23). 

"Paul,  railed  to  be  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  through 
the  will  of  God,  and  Sosthenes  our  brother,  unto  the  church 
of  God  which  is  at  Corinth,  even  them  that  are  Banctlfled 
In  Christ  Jesus,  called  to  be  saints,  with  all  that  call  upon 
the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  every  place,  their 
Lord  and  ours"    (1   Cor.   1:1,  2). 

In  the  first  passage  Paul  says:  "I  have  received 
from  the  Lord  that  which  I  deliver  unto  you" — the 
persons  to  whom  he  was  writing.  Who  were  these 
persons?  Reading  the  second  reference,  we  find  that 
they  were:  "The  saints  in  Corinth,  together  with 
all  who  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

2.  Each  Must  Decide. — Each  must  decide  for  him- 
self his  right  to  partake.  He  must  always  take  into 
consideration  his  spiritual  condition.  No  church  or 
council  has  the  right  to  determine  who  shall  or  who 


THE    LORD'S    SUPPER  79 

shall   not  partake.     Every   man  shall   prove  himself 

and  then  partake. 

"But  lei  :i  111,111  prove  himself,  and  so  let  him  eat  of  the 
bread,  and  driuk  of  the  cup"   (1  Cor.  11:28). 

3.  Danger  in  Abuse. 

"But  let  a  man  prove  himself,  and  so  let  him  eat  of  the 
bread,  and  drink  of  the  cup.  lor  he  that  eateth  and 
drinketh,  eateth  and  drinketh  Judgment  unto  himself,  if 
he  discern  not  the  body"    (1  Cor.  11:28,  29). 

IV.    ITS  FREQUENCY 

1.  Prominent  in  the  Early  Church. — The  Lord's 
Supper  was  a  prominent  part  of  the  worship  of  the 
early  disciples. 

"And  they  continued  steifastly  in  the  apostles'  teaching 
and  fellowship,  in  the  breaking  of  bread  and  the  prayers" 
(Acts  2:  42). 

2.  Every  Lord's  Day. — By  comparing  the  follow- 
ing we  discover  that  when  the  disciples  met,  it  was 
to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  we  know  it 
was  their  custom  to  meet  every  first  day  of  the  week. 
In  those  days  the  supper  was  the  main  part  of  the 
worship;  the  sermon  was  secondary. 

"And  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week,  when  we  were 
gathered  together  to  break  bread,  Paul  discoursed  with 
them,  intending  to  depart  on  the  morrow;  and  prolonged 
his  speech  until   midnight"    (Acts  20:7). 

'"Now  concerning  the  collection  for  the  saints,  as  I 
gave  order  to  the  churches  of  Galatia,  so  also  do  ye.  Upon 
the  first  day  of  the  week  let  each  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in 
store,  as  he  mav  prosper,  that  no  collections  be  made  when 
I  come"   (1  Cor.  16 :  1,  2). 

3.  The  Change. — For  the  first  seven  hundred 
years  the  disciples  continued  to  observe  the  ordi- 
nance weekly.  John  Calvin  called  the  change  "a 
contrivance  of  the  devil."  John  Wesley,  advised  that 
the  table  be  spread. each  week. 


80  THE    NEW    TEBTAMENT    CHI  RCE 

TOPICS   FOR    HOME   STUDY   AND    DISCUSSION 

1.  Why  is  the   Lord's  Supper  so  called? 

2.  Why  is  the  Lord's  Supper  called  eucharistf 

3.  Why  is  it  called  the  sacrament* 

4.  Why  is  it  called  communion? 

5.  How  often  is  the  Lord's  Supper  to  be  observed? 

6.  How  about  the  members  of  the  Christian  church 
that  only  observe  the  Lord's  Supper  once  a  month 
or  once  in  two  months;  that  is,  those  that  have  little 
or  no  excuse  to  stay  away  from  the  Lord's  Supper 
week  after  week? 

7.  Who  are  eligible  to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per? 

8.  What  do  you  mean  by  the  phrase  "close  com- 
munion'.' 

t».  What  are  some  of  the  dangers  in  abusing  the 
observance  of  the   Lord's   Supper? 

10.  Explain  in  your  own  words  the  significance 
of  the   ordinance. 

11.  What  spiritual  benefits  may  be  received  from 
the  Lord's  Supper? 

RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 

Use  Questions  137  to  145,  inclusive,  in  the  back 
of  this  book. 

SOME   REFERENCE   BOOKS 

sermons,  by  Charles  Reign  Scoville,  Chapter  III.; 
The  Lord's  Supper,  by  John  L.  Brandt. 


THE    HOLY    SPIRIT  81 

BLACKBOARD   OUTLINE 


I.    THE  NAMES.  III.     WHO  ARE   ELIGIBLE 

1.  The  Lord's  Supper.  TO  PARTAKE. 

2.  Eucharist.  1.   All  Christians. 

3.  Sacrament.  2.   Ea.  Mu.  Decide. 

4.  Communion.  3.  Dang,  in  Abuse. 

II.     PURPOSE.  IV.    ITS  FREQUENCY. 

1.  Memorial.  1.   Prom,  in  Ea.  Ch. 

2.  Communion.  2.  Ev.  Lo.  Day. 

3.  To  Fort.  Char.  3.   Change. 


LESSON   XIII. 

The   New  Testament    Church   and   the 
Holy   Spirit 

The  term  "'Holy  Spirit"  is  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment no  less  than  sixty-six  times,  and  the  terms 
"Spirit"  and  "Spirit  of  God"  are  frequently  used.  In 
this  study  we  give  just  a  few  important  facts.  The 
students  who  wish  to  go  more  thoroughly  into  the 
subject  will  find  all  passages  referring  thereto  in 
any  good  concordance. 

I.     THE   HOLY   SPIRIT   IS   A   PERSON 

1.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  One  with  the  Father  and 
Son. 

"Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations, 
baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the 
Son  and  of  the   Holy  Spirit"    (Matt.   28  :  19). 

"But  th<'  Cdinforter,  (§ven  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom  the 
Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things, 
and  bring  to  your  remembrance  all  that  I  said  unto  you" 
(John  14:26). 


82  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 


2.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  a  Comforter. 

"And  hope  puttotli  not  to  shame;  because  the  love  of 
God  hath  been  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  through  the  Holy 
Spirit  which  was  given  unto  us"    (Rom.  5:5). 

"But  if  vc  are  led  by  the  Spirit,  ye  are  not  under  the 
law"    (Gal.   5:  18). 

3.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  a  Guide. — He  guided  the 
apostles  into  all  truth  by  bringing  to  their  remem- 
brance all  that  Jesus  taught  them,  and  thus  brought 
the  truth  of  Jesus  before  the  minds  of  men. 

"These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  while  yet  abid- 
ing with  you.  Bur  the  Comforter,  crcn  the  Holy  Spirit, 
whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach 
you  all  things,  and  bring  to  jour  remembrance  all  that 
I  said  unto  you"   (John  14:  1.">-2G). 

"Nevertheless  I  tell  you  the  truth:  It  is  expedient  for 
you  that  I  go  away;  for  If  1  go  not  away,  t ho  Comforter 
will  not  come  unto  you  ;  but  if  I  go,  I  will  send  him  unto 
you.  And  lie,  when  he  is  come,  will  convict  the  world  in 
respect  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment:  of 
sin.  because  they  believe  not  on  me :  of  righteousness,  be- 
cause I  go  i  the  Father,  and  ye  behold  me  no  more:  of 
judgment,  because  the  prince  of  this  world  hath  been 
judged"    (John  lti :  7-11). 

4.  The  Holy  Spirit  May  be  Resisted. 

"Ye  stiffuecked  and  unclrcumclsed  in  heart  and  ears,  ye 
do  always  resist  the  Holy  Spirit :  as  your  fathers  did,  so 
do  ye"    (Acts  7  :  51). 

5.  The  Holy  Spirit  May  bo  Grieved. 

"And    grieve    not    the    Holy    Spirit    of   God,    in    whom    ye 
were  sealed   unto  the  day  of  redemption"    ( Eph.  4:30). 
"Quench    not    the    Spirit"    (1    Thcss.    5:10). 

II.     THREE    MANIFESTATIONS    OF    THE    HOLY 
SPIRIT 

The  baptism  with  (ho  Holy  Spirit,  the  extraordi- 
nary gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  the  apostles  were 
able  to  bestow,  and  the  ordinary  gift  or  indwelling 


THE    HOLY    SPIRIT  83 

of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  we  are  promised  from  God, 
should  be  gotten   clearly   in  mind. 

1.  The  Baptism  with  the  Holy  Spirit.— The  bap- 
tism with  the  Holy  Spirit  was  a  miraculous  mani- 
festation. It  only  occurred  twice.  First,  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  which  marks  the  beginning  of  the  Chris- 
tian church. 

'•And  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them 
utterance"    (Acts  2:4). 

The  second,  in  the  household  of  Cornelius,  which 
marks  the  beginning  of  the  spread  of  the  gospel 
among  the  Gentiles. 

•'While  Peter  yet  spake  these  words,  the  Holy  Spirit  fell 
on  all  them  that  heard  the  word.  And  they  of  the  circum- 
cision that  believed  were  amazed,  as  many  as  came  with 
Peter,  because  that  on  the  Gentiles  also  was  poured  out  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  For  they  heard  them  speak  with 
tongues,  and  magnify  God"    (Acts   10:44-46). 

The  manifest  purpose  of  these  miraculous  mani- 
festations was  to  endow  the  apostles  for  their  work, 
and  to  confirm  the  message  that  they  were  to  deliver. 
We  are  not  promised  the  baptism  with  the  Holy 
Spirit  to-day. 

2.  The  Extraordinary  Gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit. — 
The  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  the  apostles  were 
able  to  bestow  was  an  extraordinary  gift,  and  was 
different  from  the  baptism  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 
latter  was  from  heaven,  but  the  former  was  given 
by  the  laying  on  of  hands  and  prayer. 

"Now  when  the  apostles  that  were  at  Jerusalem  heard 
that  Samaria  had  received  the  word  of  God,  they  sent  unto 
them  Peter  and  John  :  who,  when  they  were  come  down, 
prayed  for  them,  that  they  might  receive  the  Holy  Spirit  : 
for  as  yet  it  was  fallen  upon  none  of  them  :  only  they  had 
been  baptized  into  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.     Then  they 


84  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

laid  their  hands  on  them,  and  they  received  the  Holy 
Spirit"    (Acts  8:  14-17). 

"And  when  l'aul  had  laid  his  hands  upon  them,  the 
Holy  Spirit  came  on  them ;  and  they  spake  with  tongues, 
and  prophesied"    (Acts  19:<!). 

"Neglect  not  the  gift  that  is  in  thee,  which  was  given 
thee  by  prophecy,  with  the  laying  on  or  the  hands  of  the 
presbytery"    (1  Tim.  4:14). 

These  gifts,  sometimes  called  secondary  gifts  in 
comparison  with  the  baptism  with  the  Holy  Spirit, 
were  confined  to  the  apostolic  age. 

3.  The  Ordinary  Gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit.— The 
ordinary  gift  or  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that 
is  promised  to  each  Christian,  is  that  which  mani- 
fests itself  by  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  Peter  said: 
"Repent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  remission  of  your 
sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit" 
(Acts  2:  38).  Peter  further  testifies:  "And  we  are 
witnesses  of  these  things;  and  so  is  the  Holy  Spirit, 
whom  God  hath  given  to  them  that  obey  him"  (Acts 
5:  32).  "The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace, 
longsuffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faithfulness, 
meekness,  temperance;  against  such  there  is  no  law" 
(Gal.  5:  22,  23). 

III..  THE    OPERATION    OF    THE    HOLY    SPIRIT 
IS  THROUGH  THE  WORD;   i.  e.,  THE  BIBLE 

The  Word  is  the  effective  instrument  for  reaching 
men.  "The  Spirit  himself  beareth  witness  with  our 
spirit,  that  we  are  children  of  God"  (Rom.  8:  16). 
This  witness  is  borne  through  the  Word.  The  Spirit 
says  (through  the  Word),  "Believe";  my  spirit  says, 
"I  do  believe."    The  Spirit  says  (through  the  Word), 


THE    HOLY    SPIRIT  85 

"Repent";  my  spirit  says,  "I  have  repented."  The 
Spirit  says,  "Confess  Christ";  my  spirit  says,  "I  have 
confessed  him."  The  Spirit  says,  "Be  baptized"; 
my  spirit  says,  "I  have  been  baptized."  The  Spirit 
says,  "Live  an  earnest,  Christlike  life";  my  spirit 
says,  "I  am  striving  to  live  an  earnest,  Christlike 
life."  Hence  the  Spirit  himself  beareth  witness  with 
my  spirit  that  1  am  a  child  of  God,  an  heir  of  God, 
and  a  joint-heir  with  Christ. 

TOPICS    FOR   HOME    STUDY   AND    CLASS    DIS- 
CUSSION 

1.  How  does  the   Spirit  guide  us  into  all  truth? 

2.  Explain  the  difference  between  the  baptism  with 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that 
the  apostles  were  able  to  bestow. 

3.  Explain  the  difference  between  the  baptism  with 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  prom- 
ised to  every   obedient  disciple? 

4.  How  may  we  know  that  we  are  children  of  God? 

5.  When  does  a  person  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit? 

6.  What  part  does  the  Holy  Spirit  have  in  conver-. 
si  on? 

7.  Describe  the  Holy  Spirit  in  so  far  as  the  Scrip- 
tures explain  who  he  is. 

RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 

Use  Questions  146  to  149,  inclusive,  in  the  back 
of  this  book. 


86  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

SOME  REFERENCE  BOOKS 

On  the  Rock,  by  David  R.  Dungan,  pages  199-208; 
Set  king  the  Old  Paths,  by  Robert  Moffett,  Chapter 
IV.;  Campaigning  for  Christ,  by  J.  V.  Coombs,  Chap- 
ter VI.,  pages  193-6;  The  Great  Saltation,  by  E.  V. 
Zollars,  Chapter  X.;  McGarveyis  Commentary  on  Acts, 
Part  I.,  page  39;  Part  II.,  page  142. 

BLACKBOARD   OUTLINE 


HOLY  SPIRIT  A  PERSON.       II.    THREE  MANIFES- 

1.  One  wi.  Fa.  and  Son.  TATION8. 

2.  Comforter.  1.  Bap.  wi.  Ho.  Spi. 

3.  Guide.  2.  Ex.  Gi.  of  Ho.  8pi. 
i.  May  be  Resisted.  3.  Ord.  Gi.  of  Ho.  Spi. 
6.   May  be  Grieved. 

III.     OPERATION    IS  THROUGH  THE   BIBLE. 


LESSON   XIV. 

The   New  Testament   Church   and   Or- 
ganization 

Christ's  plan  is  to  save  the  world  by  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel. 

"(in  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations, 
"baptizing  them  Into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son 
and  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  I  commanded  you  :  and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  al- 
ways, even  unto  the  end  of  the  world"    (Matt.  28:19,   20). 

To  carry  out  this  plan  there  must  be  some  organi- 
zation. This  organization  is  the  church,  and,  as 
all  organizations,  it  must  have  officers.  This  organi- 
zation is  simple,  and  is  a  model  for  all  ages. 


ORGAMZATION  87 

I.   THE   CHURCH    AND   ITS   WORK 

1.  Its  Purpose. — The  church  is  a  band  of  Chris- 
tians  organized   for   worship   and   work. 

2.  The  Meaning  of  the  Word. — The  word 
"church"  is  ekklesia  in  Greek,  and  means  "called 
out." 

3.  Power  Within. — It  is  self-controlled,  self- 
supported   and   self-extended. 

4.  Its  Twofold  Purpose. — It  must  win  souls  to 
Christ  and  train  and  care  for  those  who  have  been 
won   to  him. 

If.     THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  RELATION  OF  ITS 
OFFICERS   AND   OTHER   MEMBERS 

1.  No  Masters  and  Servants. — In  the  church  there 
is  small  distinction  between  the  officers,  which  in- 
clude the  minister,  and  other  members. 

••Neither  be  ye  called  masters,  for  one  is  your  Master, 
even   the  Christ"    (Matt.   2:::lo>. 

"But  we  beseech  you.  brethren,  to  know  them  that  labor 
among  you,  and  are  over  you  in  the  Lord,  and  admonish 
you'     (1  Thess.  5  :  12). 

2.  The  Measure  of  Success. — The  distinction  is 
that  of  service.     By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them 

III.     THE   CHURCH   AND   ITS   BEGINNING 

1.  On  the  Day  of  Pentecost. — The  church  began 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost  following  the  ascension  of 
Christ. 

••They  then  that  received  his  wind  were  baptized  :  and 
there  were  added  tuitti  Thou  in  that  day  about  three  thou- 
sand souls.  And  they  continued  stedfastly  in  the  apostles' 
teaching  and  fellowship,  in  the  breaking  of  bread  and  the 
prayers*   (Acts  2:  41,  42). 


88  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

2.  Spoken  of  as  in  the  Future. — In  the  third 
year  of  Christ's  ministry  he  spoke  of  the  church  as 
in  the  future. 

"Now  when  Jesus  came  into  the  parts  of  Caesarea  Philip- 
pi,  lie  asked  his  disciples,  saying,  Who  do  men  say  that  the 
Son  of  man  is?  And  tney  said.  Some  say  John  the  Baptist; 
some,  Elijah  ;  and  others,  Jeremiah,  or  one  of  the  prophets. 
He  saith  unto  them,  But  who  say  ye  that  I  am?  And 
Simon  l'eter  answered  and  said,  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  the  living  Uod.  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto 
him.  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-Jonah:  for  flesh  and 
blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  hut  my  Father  who  is 
in.  heaven.  And  1  also  say  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter, 
and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church  ;  and  the  gates 
of  Hades  shall  not  prevail  against  it.  I  will  give  unto  thee 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  :  and  whatsoever  thou 
shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven;  and  what 
soever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven. 
Then  charged  he  the  disciples  thai  they  should  tell  no  man 
that  he  was  the  Christ"   (Matt.  16:  13-20). 

3.  Spoken  of  as  in  the  Past. — After  Pentecost, 
following  the  resurrection,  the  church  is  spoken  of  as 
already  in  existence. 

"And  the  Lord  added  to  them  day  by  day  those  that 
were  saved"   (Acts  2:47t. 

IV.     THE   CHURCH   AND   ITS   OFFICERS 

1.  Christ  the  Head. 

"And  he  put  all  things  in  subjection  under  his  feet,  and 
gave  him  to  be  head  over  all  1  lungs  to  the  church"  (Eph. 
1  :  22  | . 

"And  lie  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church  :  who  is  the 
beginning,  the  Srstborn  from  the  dead:  that  in  all  things 
he  might   have   t  lie  pre-eminence"    (Col.    1:18). 

(1)    Corner-stone. 

"Because  it   is  contained  in   Scripture, 

Behold.   I   lay  in   Zion  a  chief  corner-stone,  elect,  pre- 
cious :  • 
And    be    thai    believeth    on    him    shall    n.d    he   put    t« 
shame"    1 1   Pet   2  :  6). 

/2.)  Foundation. 


ORGANIZATION  89 

"For  other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  which 
is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ"   (1  Cor.  3:  11). 

2.  Apostles. 

(1)  Chosen  and  trained  by  Christ. 

"And  when  it  was  day,  lie  called  his  disciples ;  and  he 
those  from  them  twelve,  whom  he  also  named  apostles*' 
(Luke  6:  13). 

(2)  Qualifications:  (a)  Witnesses  of  the  risen  Sa- 
viour,    (b)   Given  miraculous  power. 

The   apostles   had   no  successors. 

3.  Prophets. 

They  were  inspired  teachers. 

"Now  in  these  days  there  came  down  prophets  from 
Jerusalem  unto  Antioch"   (Acts  11:27). 

"Now  there  were  at  Antioch,  in  the  church  that  was 
there,  prophets  and  teachers,  Barnabas,  and  Symeon  that 
was  called  Niger,  and  Lucius  of  Cyrene,  and  Manaen  the 
foster-brother  of  Herod  the  tetrarch,  and  Saul.  And  as  they 
ministered  to  the  Lord,  and  fasted,  the  Holy  Spirit  said. 
Separate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  whereunto  I 
have  called  them"    (Acts  13:1,  2). 

The  prophets  had  no  successors.  We  have  an  in- 
spired book  as  our  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

4.  Evangelists. 

"And  on  the  morrow  we  departed  and  came  unto  Caesarea  : 
and  entering  into  the  house  of  Philip  the  evangelist,  who 
was  one  of  the  seven,  we  abode  with  him"   (Acts  21  :  8). 

"And  he  gave  some  to  be  apostles  ;  and  some,  prophets  ; 
and  some,  evangelists ;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers" 
(Eph.  4  :  11). 

"But  be  thou  sober  in  all  things,  suffer  hardsb'p,  do  the 
work   of  an  evangelist,   fulfill   thy   ministry"    (2  Tim.   4:5). 

An  evangelist  is  a  bearer  of  good  news.  Every 
Christian  is  an  evangelist. 

5.  Deacons. 

(1)   Qualifications. 


90  THE    A'A'U      TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

"Deacons  in  like  manner  must  be  grave,  not  double- 
tongued,  not  given  to  much  wine,  not  greedy  of  filthy  lucre; 
holding  the  mystery  of  the  faith  In  a  pure  conscience.  And 
lei  these  also  flrsl  be  proved;  then  Ie1  themi  si'rve  as 
deacons,  [f  they  be  blameless.  Women  in  like  manner  must 
in  grave,  not  slanderers,  temperate,  faithful  in  all  things. 
Let  deacons  be  husbands  of  one  wife,  ruling  their  children 
ami  their  own  houses  well.  For  they  thai  have  served  well 
as  deacons  gain  t<>  themselves  a  good  standing,  and  greal 
boldness  in  the  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus"  il  Tim.  •'! . 
8-13). 

(2)  Duties:  (a)  Serve  tables  (Acts  6:  2).  Here 
we  have  mentioned  the  first  deacons,  (b)  Look  after 
the  i temporal  welfare  of  the  church. 

"Now  in  these  days,  when  the  number  of  the  disciples 
was  multiplying,  there  arose  a  murmuring  of  the  Grecian 
Jews  against  the  Hebrews,  because  their  widows  were  neg 
lected  in  the  daily  ministration.  And  the  twelve  called  th<' 
multitude  of  the  disciples  unto  them,  and  said.  It  is  not 
lii  thai  we  should  forsake  the  word  of  God,  and  serve 
tables.  Look  ye  oul  therefore,  brethren,  from  among  you 
seven  men  of  good  report,  full  of  the  Spirit  and  of  wisdom, 
whom  we  may  appoint  over  this  business.  But  we  will  con 
tinue  steadfastly  in  prayer,  and  in  the  ministry  of  the  word. 
And  the  saying  pleased  the  whole  multitude:  and  they  chose 
Stephen,   a   man   full   of  faith   and   of   the  Holy   spirit,   and 

Philip,    and    I'rochorus,    and    Nici r,    and    Timon,    and    Par 

menas,  and  Nicolaus  a  proselyte  of  Antioch;  whom  they  sel 
before  the  apostles:  and  when  they  bad  prayed,  they  laid 
their   hands    upon    them    i  Acts   G  :  l  6). 

(3)  Reward:  "Good  standing  and  great  boldness 
in    the   faith    which    is    in   Christ  Jesus." 

"For  they  thai  have  served  well  as  deacons  gain  to  them- 
selves a  good  standing,  and  ureal  boldness  in  the  faith 
which  is  in  Chrisl   Jesus"    il   Tim.  ::  :  13). 

i  1)  Meaning  of  Word.  The  Greek  won]  translated 
"deacon"  signifies  servant,  and  is  so  translated. 

"But  he  thai  is  greatest  among  von  shall  be  your  Berv 
ant"    i  Matt.    23  :  11). 

"If  any   man   serve   me,   let    him   follow   me;   and   where    l 

am.   there  shall   als y  servant    he:   if  any   man   serve   me 

him   will   do-   Father  honor"    (John    12:26), 

Also  translated  "minister." 


ORGANIZATION  91 

"But  it  is  not  so  among  you  :  but  whosoever  would  be- 
come great  among  you,  shall  be  your  minister"  (Mark  10: 
43). 

"What  then  is  Apollos?  and  what  is  Paul?  Ministers 
through  whom  ve  believed ;  and  each  as  the  Lord  gave  to 
him"    (1  Cor.  3  :•">). 

"And  sent  Timothy,  our  brother  and  God's  minister  in 
the  gospel  of  Christ,  to  establish  you,  and  to  comfort  you 
concerning  your  faith"    (1  Thess.  :i  :  2). 

(5)  Note  also  the  church  at  Cenchreae  had  a  dea- 
coness : 

"I  commend  unto  you  Phoebe  our  sister,  who  is  a  servant 
St  the  church  that  is  at  Cenchme"  (Rom.  16 :  1- — R.  V. 
margin). 

6.  Elders. 

•     (1)   Other  names:  Bishop,  presbyter,  overseer,  pas- 
tor. 

"And  he  gave  some  to  be  apostles  ;  and  some,  prophets ; 
and  some,  evangelists ;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers" 
(Eph.  4:11). 

(2)    Qualifications: 

"Faithful  is  the  saying,  If  a  man  seeketh  the  office  of  a 
bishop,  he  desireth  a  good  work.  The  bishop  therefore  must 
be  without  reproach,  the  husband  of  one  wife,  temperate, 
soberrminded,  orderly,  given  to  hospitality,  apt  to  teach ; 
no  brawler,  no  striker  ;  but  gentle,  not  contentious,  no  lover 
of  money  ;  one  that  ruleth  well  his  own  house,  having  hit 
children  in  subjection  with  all  gravity;  (but  if  a  man  know- 
eth  not  how  to  rule  his  own  house,  how  shall  he  take  care 
of  the  church  of  God?)  not  a  novice,  lest  being  puffed  up 
he  fall  into  the  condemnation  of  the  devil.  Moreover  he 
must  have  good  testimony  from  them  that  are  without ; 
lest  he  fall  into  reproach  and  the  snare  of  the  devil"  (1 
Tim.  3:  1-7). 

"For  this  cause  I  left  thee  in  Crete,  that  thou  shouldest 
set  in  order  the  things  that  were  wanting,  and  appoint 
elders  in  every  city,  as  I  gave  thee  charge ;  if  any  man  is 
blameless,  the  husband  of  one  wife,  having  children  that  be- 
lieve, who  are  not  accused  of  riot  or  unruly.  For  the 
bishop  must  be  blameless,  as  God's  steward ;  not  self-willed. 
not  soon  angry,  no  brawler,  no  striker,  not  greedy  of  filthy 
lucre ;  but  given  to  hospitality,  a  lover  of  good,  sober-minded, 
just.  holy,  self-controlled ;  holding  to  the  faithful  word 
which  is  according  to  the  teaching,  that  he  may  be  able 
both  to  exhort  in  the  sound  doctrine,  and  to  convict  the 
gafnsayers"  (Tit  1:5-9). 


92  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

(3)  Duties;  (a)  Watch  themselves. 

"Take  heed  unto  yourselves,  and  t<>  all  the  flock,  in 
which  the  Holy  spirit  hath  made  you  bishops,  to  teed  the 
church  of  the  Lord  which  he  purchased  with  his  own  blood" 
(Acts  20:  28), 

(ft)   Set  a  good  example. 

"Neither  as  lording  it  over  the  charge  allotted  to  you, 
but  making  y<  urselves  ensamples  to  the  flock'-  (l   Pet.  5  :  3). 

(c)   Teach  and  exhort. 

"Holding  to  the  faithful  word  which  is  according  to  the 
teaching,  that  he  may  be  able  both  to  exhort  in  the  sound 
doctrine,  and  to  convict   the  gainsayers. 

"For  there  are  many  unruly  men.  vain  talkers  and  de- 
ceivers, specially  they  of  the  eircumcision,  whose  mouths 
must  be  stopped;  men  who  overthrow  whole  houses,  teach- 
ing things  which  they  ought  nol  for  tilt  1  > v  lucre's  sake" 
(Tit.   1  :  9-11  )>. 

(cl)   Visit  the  sick. 

"Is  an.\  among  you  sick?  let  him  call  for  the  elders  of 
the  church  :  and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with 
oil  in  the  name  of  the   Lord"    (Jas.  5:14). 

(e)  Oversee  the  flock. 

'"rend  the  tlock  of  God  which  is  among  you.  exercising 
the  oversight,  not  of  constraint,  hut  willingly,  according  to 
tlic  will  of  God;  no1  yel  tor  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a  ready 
mind"    it    Pet.   5  :  2). 

"Take  heed  unto  yourselves,  and  to  all  the  (lock,  in 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  hath  made  you  bishops,  to  feed  the 
church  of  the  Lord  which  he  inn-chased  with  his  own  blood" 
(Acts   20:  38). 

(4  i   Beioard:  Crown  of  Glory. 

"And  when  the  chief  shepherd  shall  be  manifested,  ye 
shall  receive  the  crown  of  glory  that  t'adeth  nol  away"  (1 
Pet.  5:  1 1. 

TOPICS    FOR   HOME   STUDY   AND    CLASS    DIS- 
CUSSION 

1.  What    is    the   church? 

2.  Does  the  New  Testament  make  any  distinction 
between  the  minister  and  other  disciples? 


ORGANIZATION  93 

3.  Who  were  the   apostles?     Have   they   any   suc- 
cessors? 

4.  Who  were  the  prophets?     Have  they  any  suc- 
cessors? 

5.  Describe  the  work  of  an  evangelist. 

6.  Tell  the  qualifications  and  duties  of  a  deacon. 

7.  Tell  the  qualifications  and  duties  of  an  elder. 

8.  What  other  names  are  used  to  describe  the  office 
of  an  elder? 

9.  What  is  the  modern  pastor — an  elder  or  deacon, 
or  both? 

10.  Should  an  elder  be  a  Bible-school  teacher? 

11.  Who  should  constitute  the  "official  board"? 

RAPID-FIRE  DRILL 

Use  Questions  150  to  155,  inclusive,  in  the  back  of 
this  book. 

BLACKBOARD  OUTLINE 


I.    CHURCH  AND  ITS  III.    CHURCH  AND  ITS 

WORK.  BEGINNING. 

1.  Its  Pur.  1.  On  the  Day  of  Pentecost. 

2.  Mean,  of  Word.  2.  Spoken  of  as  in  the  Future. 

3.  Pow.  within.  2.  Spoken  of  as  in  the  Past. 

4.  Twofold  Pur. 

IV.    CHURCH  AND 
II.    CHURCH— RELATION  OFFICES. 

OF  OFF.,  ETC.  x>   Christ,  the  Head 

1.  No.  Mas.  and  Ser.  2.   Apostles. 

2.  Meas.  of  Sue.  8.   Prophets. 

4.  Evangelists. 

5.  Deacons. 

6.  Elders. 


94  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

LESSON   XV. 

The   New   Testament   Church  and 
Finances 

The  whole  life  and  teachings  of  Jesus  are  filled 
with  the  spirit  of  giving.  His  unselfish  life,  his 
sacrificial  death,  his  altruistic  teachings,  have  given 
us  a  new  conception  of  man,  his  life's  work  and 
his  possessions.  The  Christian  is  taught  that  he  is 
responsible  to  God  for  everything  that  he  possesses. 
A  Christian  is  never  to  lose  sight  of  Christ.  He 
must  buy  his  clothes  as  a  Christian.  He  must  fur- 
nish his  table  as  a  Christian.  He  must  buy  his  books 
as  a  Christian.  In  other  words,  the  Christian  is  just 
as  much  responsible  for  the  use  of  the  dollar  that 
he  spends  for  a  pair  of  gloves  as  he  is  for  the  one 
he  gives  to  Foreign  Missions. 

1.  Giving  is  a  Duty. — It  is  a  definite  part  of  the 
Christian  life. 

"Bui  as  ye  abound  in  everything,  in  faith,  and  utter- 
ance, and  knowledge,  and  in  all  earnestness,  and  in  your 
love  to  us,  see  that  ye  abound  in  this  grace  also"  (2  Cor. 
8:7). 

"I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies  of 
God,  to  preseni  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  accept- 
able  to  Sod,   which   is  your  spiritual   service"    (Rom.    12:1). 

"And  Jesus  looking  upon  him  loved  him.  and  saith  unto 
him,  One  thing  thou  lackesl  :  go  scfll  whatsoever  thou  bast, 
and  give  to  the  poor,  and  thou  shall  have  treasure  In 
heaven:    and    rome,    follow    me"    (Mark    10:21). 

"Upon  bhe  first  day  of  the  week  let  each  one  of  you 
lay  by  him  In  store,  as  be  may  prosper,  that  no  collections 
be  made  when   l  come"  (1  Cor,  18:  2i. 

2.  (Jiving  is  Reciprocal. — A  Christian  is  blessed 
by  giving. 

"But  this  I   say,   He  that  sowcth  sparingly  shall   reap 


FINANCES  96 

also  sparingly ;  and  he  that  soweth  bountifully  shall  reap 
also  bountifully"    (2  Cor.  9:6). 

"Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you ;  good  measure, 
pressed  down,  shaken  together,  running  over,  shall  they 
give  into  your  bosom.  For  with  what  measure  ye  mete 
it  shall   be  measured  to  you  again"    (Luke  6:38). 

"Jesus  said  unto  him,  If  thou  wouldest  be  perfect,  go 
sell  that  which  thou  bast,  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  tho.i 
shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven  :  and  come,  follow  me"  (Matt. 
19:  21). 

The  following  inscription  is  said  to  be  on  a  tomb- 
stone  in  Tiverton,   England: 

"That  wee  spent,  wee  had ;        \ 
That   wee  lefte,   we  loste ; 
That  wee  gave!  we  have."  / 

3.  Giving  is  Noticed  by  Our  Saviour. 

"And  he  called  unto  him  his  disciples,  and  said  unto 
them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  This  poor  widow  cast  in 
more  than  all  they  that  are  casting  into  the  treasury" 
(Mark   12:43). 

We   should   give   as  though   we  were   placing   our 

gifts  in  the  pierced  hands  of  Christ  Jesus. 

'Give    as  you  would   if  an   angel 

Awaited  your  gift  at  the  door  : 
Give    as    you    would    if    to-morrow 

Found  you  where  waiting  was  o'er ; 
Give  as  you  would  to  the  Master 

If  you  met  his  searching  look ; 
Give  as  you  would  of  your  substance 

If  bis  hand  your  offering  took." 

4.  Giving  Must  be  Cheerful. 

"Let  each  man  do  according  as  he  hath  purposed  in  his 
heart :  not  grudgingly,  or  of  necessity :  for  God  loveth  a 
cheerful  giver"    (2   Cor.  9:7). 

5.  Giving  Must  be  Jjiberal. 

"Or  he  that  exhortetb.  to  his  exhorting:  he  that  givetb, 
let  him  do  it  with  liberality  ;  he  that  ruleth,  with  diligence  : 
he    that   showeth    mercy,    with    cheerfulness"    (Rom.    12:8). 

The   Greek   word   translated    "cheerful"   in   2   Cor. 

9:  7,  means   "hilarious."     In  Rom.   12:  8,  the  word 


96  THE    NEW    TESTZMENT    CHURCH 

"simplicity"  is  rendered  in  the  Revised  Version  "lib- 
erality." 

<».  Giving  X<>(  Limited  by  Geographical  Bonn* 
darics. — Giving  must  not  be  limited  by  geographical 
or  racial  boundaries.  This  being  true,  each  Chris- 
tian should  give  both  to  Home  and  Foreign  Mis- 
sions.    The   world    is    the   Christian's   field. 

"And  the  field  is  the  world;  and  the  good  seed,  these 
arc  the  sons  of  the  kingdom:  and  the  tares  are  the  sons 
of  the  evil   one"    I  Man.    13  :  38). 

"Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations. 
baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the 
Son  and  of   the  Hol.\    Spirit"    I  Matt.   28  :  19). 

"And  how  shall  t  hoy  preach,  except  they  be  sent? 
even  as  it  is  written,  How  beautiful  are  the  feet  of  them 
thai    bring  glad    tidings  of  good   things"    (Horn.   10:15). 

"Blessed  are  they  thai  wash  their  robes,  that  they  may 
have  the  righl  to  come  to  the  tree  of  life,  and  may  enter 
in  by  the  gates  into  the  city"    (Rev.   22:  14). 

7.  Giving  Not  Irregular. — Giving  should  be  sys- 
tematic, universal  and  proportionate.  Upon  the  first 
day  of  the  week  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in 
store  as  he  may  prosper.  (A.  V.,  as  God  has  pros- 
pered him.) 

"Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  lei  each  one  of  you  lay 
by  him  in  stoic,  as  he  may  prosper,  that  no  collections  he 
made   when    i   come"    i  l    Cor.    16 :  2). 

8.  Money  Must   \<>t    Stand  Rot  ween  Us  and  Our 

Saviour. 

''Jesus  said  unto  him,  If  thou  wouldest  be  perfect,  go, 
sell  that  whlcb  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  thou 
shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven:  and  come,  follow  me.  But 
when  the  young  man  beard  the  saying,  be  went  away  Bor 
rowful ;  for  he  was  one  thai  had  great  possessions.  And 
Jesus  s^ : i ill  unto  his  disciples.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  It  is 
hard  (or  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
And  again  I  say  unto  you.  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go 
through  a  needle's  eve,  than  for  a  "rich  man  to  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God  "    I  Man.   19  :  21  24  I. 

Coveted  money  caused  Judas  to  betray  his  Maste*. 


FINANCES  97 

Dives  misused  his  money  and  would  gladly  have 
changed  his  life  after  it  was  too  late.  The  rich 
young  man  was  told  to  get  rid  of  his  money  and 
come  and  follow  his  Saviour.  The  selfish  farmer 
trusted  too  much  in  things  temporal.  Death's  sen- 
tence came  with  the  question,  "The  things  which 
thou  hast  prepared,  whose  shall  they  be?"  (.Luke 
12:  20.)  In  giving  as  well  as  living,  Christ  must 
have  no  secondary  place. 

9.  Money  is  Potent  and  Far-reaching. — Money 
properly  used  is  a  power  for  good.  If  I  rightly  an- 
swer the  question,  "What  shall  I  do  with  myself?" 
I  can  then  easily  answer  the  other,  "What  shall  I 
do  with  my  money?" 

In  a  Japanese  temple  the  coffer  or  collection-box 
stands  at  the  entrance  of  the  door.  No  heathen 
ever  prays  to  his  god  till  he  has  first  given  his  money, 
or  his  rice  or  his  silk.  It  is  always  pay  first,  then 
pray;  otherwise  the  god  would  be  insulted.  Is  there 
not  a  lesson  in  this  for  the  Christian?  You  can  not 
do  everything,  but  you  can  help  do  a  great  many 
things.  Dr.  Dennis  has  well  and  truthfully  said: 
"An  ordinary  contributor,  as  he  sits  in  his  pew,  can 
touch  every  continent,  and  do  a  work  for  Christ 
where  his  footsteps  can  never  tread."  Put  your  very 
self  into  your  gifts.  Forget  not  that  behind  each 
gift  must  be  the  loving,  praying,  sympathetic  heart 
of  the  giver. 

"Not   what    we   give,   but    what   we  share. 
For  the  gift  without  the  giver  is  bare: 
Who  gives  himself  with  his  alms  feeds  three — 
Himself,  his  hungry  neighbor  and  Me." 

— Lowell. 


98  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

TRY   THIS   PLAN 

Reader,  will  you  not  pledge  a  definite  proportion 
to  be  given  prayerfully  and  carefully  for  the  work 
of  the  Lord?  Are  we  treating  the  Lord  right  by 
giving  him  the  nickels  or  dimes  that  we  happen  to 
have  in  our  pockets  when  the  offering-basket  is 
passed?  Will  you  permit  the  evangelization  of  the 
world  to  depend  upon  the  condition  of  your  pocket- 
book  on  the  special  days  when  the  regular  mission- 
ary offerings  are  taken?  Fill  out  the  following 
pledge.  Try  it  at  least  for  a  year,  and  we  believe 
you  will  so  greatly  enjoy  it  that  you  will  continue. 
It  pays.  Pays  in  spiritual  blessing.  Pays  in  tem- 
poral blessing.  Pays  by  giving  you  a  higher,  hap- 
pier,   richer    Christian   experience.      Sign   it    now. 


I  hereby  promise  to  give  one-tenth  of  my  income  to 
the  Lord  for  one  year. 

Date Name 


TOPICS   FOR    HOME   STUDY    AND    CLASS    DIS- 
CUSSION 

1.  Discuss  the  reciprocity  of  giving. 

2.  Why  should  giving  be  done  cheerfully? 

3.  Discuss    the    value    of   systematic    giving. 

4.  Discuss  the  value  of  proportionate  giving. 

5.  Discuss  the  value  of  the  tithing  system. 

6.  The    questions    confronting    a    rich    disciple    of 
Christ. 

7.  Giving  as  a  grace  (2  Cor.  8:7). 

8.  The  best  plan  tor  raising  money  for  the  current 
expenses  of  the  church. 


MISSIONS 


99 


RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 

Use  Questions  15G  to  162,  inclusive,  in  the  back  of 
this  book. 

BLACKBOARD   OUTLINE 


.$. 

rA  Duty. 

Reciprocal. 

Not.  by  Sav. 

Mu.  be  Cheer. 

GIVING 

Mu.  be  Lib. 

Not  Lim.by  Ge.  Bo. 

Giv.  not  Ir. 

Mo.  Mu.  not  St.  bet.  Us  and  Sav. 

•$• 

Mo.  Pot.  and  Far-re. 

LESSON  XVI. 

The      New     Testament      Church      and 

Missions 

I.     CHRIST   THE   GREAT   MISSIONARY 

1.  A  Definition. — A  missionary  is  one  sent  with  a 
message  to  another  person.  Christ  was  sent  into  the 
world,  by  his  Father  and  ours,  to  deliver  unto  us  a 
message  of  his  love  and  forgiveness.  Christ  himself 
so  conceived  his  mission. 

2.  The  "Work  of  the  Great  Missionary. — With  this 
conception  of  his  ministry,  he  was  tireless  in  his 
efforts  to  reach  as  many  people  as  possible  during  his 
lifetime. 

"And  it  came  to  pass  soon  afterwards,  that  lie  went 
about  through  the  cities  and  villages,  preaching  and  bring- 
ing the  good  tidings  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  with  him 
the    twelve"    (Luke   S :  1). 


100  THi:    NEW    THNTAMENT    VHURCH 

"The  thief  cometh  not,  bul  thai  be  may  steal,  and  kill, 
and  destroy:  1  came  thai  they  may  have  life,  and  may 
have  it   abundantly"    (John   10:10). 

3.  The  Work  ol  the  Disciples. — The  task  commit- 
ted to  the  Christ  was  an  enormous  one.  It  was  ut- 
terly impossible  for  him  to  touch  personally  all  hu- 
man beings  in  his  lifetime.  So  he  deputized  his  dis- 
ciples to  assist  him   in  this  work. 

"And  ho  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  gospel  t<>  the  whole  creation.  He  that  believeth 
and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved  ;  but  he  that  disbelieveth  shall 
be  condemned"    (.Mark    L6 :  15,   16). 

"But  ye  shall  receive  power,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
come  upon  you  :  and  ye  shall  be  my  witnesses  both  in 
Jerusalem,  and  iu  all  .Tudea  and  Samaria,  and  unto  the  ut- 
termost  parts   of   the   earth"    (Acts    1:8). 

4.  The  Law   of   Growth. — In   the   parable   of  the 

leaven  Christ  showed  clearly  the  law  of  growth  in 

his  spiritual  kingdom.     As  the  leaven  is  passed  on 

from  atom  to  atom  by  contact,  so  the  gospel  is  to  be 

passed  from  person  to  person  until  the  whole  human 

race   has   felt   the   touch   of   Christ.     If  one   person 

fails  to  do  his  part,  the  truth  will  fail  to  spread  in 

his  direction  until  he  is  removed  and  a  more  faithful 

one  takes  his  place. 

"Another  parable  spake  he  unto  them  :  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  like  unto  leaven,  which  a  woman  took,  and  hid 
in  three  measures  of  meal,  till  it  was  all  leavened"  (Matt. 
13:33). 

II.    THE   DISCIPLES  CAUGHT  HIS  SPIRIT 

1.  Zeal  of  Early  Christians. — When  scattered  by 
persecutions  they  went  everywhere  preaching  the 
gospel.  When  a  church  was  broken  up  by  the  enemy, 
they  scattered  like  brands  from  a  fire,  each  starting  a 
new  fire  of  faith   and   zeal.     Mark  says  the  zeal   of 


MISSIONS  101 

the  early  disciples  carried  them  into  all  the  regions 

of  Palestine. 

"And  they  went  forth,  and  preached  everywhere,  the 
Lord  working  with  them,  and  confirming  the  word  by  the 
signs    that   followed"    (Mark    1<!  :  20). 

2.  Peter  and  Cornelius. — Peter  was  sent  to  Cor- 
nelius and  was  taught  that  it  is  God's  purpose  to 
give  all  an  opportunity  to  know  the  truth  that  makes 
men  free. 

"But  in  every  nation  he  that  feareth  him,  and  worketh 
righteousness,  is  acceptable  to  him"    (Acts   10:35). 

3.  Paul    in    His    Larger   Work. — Paul    hears    the 

famous  Macedonian  call,  and  starts  on  his  historical 

trip   through   Europe. 

"And  a  vision  appeared  to  Paul  in  the  night :  There  was 
a  man  of  Macedonia  standing,  beseeching  him,  and  say- 
ing. Come  over  into  Macedonia,  and  help  us.  And  when 
he  had  seen  the  vision,  straightway  we  sought  to  go  forth 
into  Macedonia,  concluding  that  (Jod  bad  called  us  to  preach 
the  gospel  unto  them"   (Acts  16:9,  10). 

4.  The  Last  Command. — Christ's   last  and   great 

commission   was,    "Go   therefore    and   make   disciples 

of  all  the  nations."     The  program  to  be  followed  is 

given  by  Luke. 

"But  ye  shall  receive  power,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
come  upon  you  :  and  ye  shall  be  my  witnesses  both  m 
.lerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea  and  Samaria,  and  unto  the 
uttermost  part  of  the  earth"    (Acts    1:8). 

To  those  living  in  America,  Jerusalem  represents 
our  local  field;  Judea,  the  State  work;  Samaria, 
America;  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  world,  Foreign 
Missions. 

The  teacher  should  here  explain  the  necessity  for 
State  Missionary  Boards,  the  American  Christian 
Missionary  Society,  the  Foreign  Christian  Mission- 
ary   Society,    the    Board    of    Church    Extension,    tho 


102  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

Board  of  Ministerial  Relief,  the  National  Benevolent 
Association,  and  the  C.  W.  B.  M. 

III.     THE  CHURCHES  WERE  MISSIONARY 

1.  Missionary  Churches. — The  work  of  spreading 
the  good  news  was  not  merely  an  individual  matter 
and  duty,  but  the  disciples  co-operated  in  the  work. 
While  many  disci  pies  went  to  do  missionary  work  on 
their  own  responsibility  and  supported  themselves  by 
their  hands  as  Paul  did,  we  can  find  evidences  of 
co-operation   along  missionary   and   benevolent  lines. 

2.  Offerings  from  Churches. — The  churches  were 
accustomed  to  take  offerings.  It  is  certainly  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  among  the  purposes  for  which 
offerings  were  I  a  ken  would  be  the  work  of  evangel- 
izing. 

"Now  concerning  the  collection  for  the  saints,  as  I  gave 
order  to  the  churches  of  Galatia,  so  also  do  ye.  Upon  the 
first  day  of  the  week  let  each  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in 
store,  as  he  may  prosper,  that  no  collections  be  made  when 
I  come.  And  when  l  arrive,  whomsoever  ye  shall  approve, 
them  will  l  send  with  letters  to  carry  your  bounty  unto 
Jerusalem:  and  If  it  be  meet  for  me  to  go  also,  tlo-y  shall 
go  with  me"    (1   Cor.   15:1-5). 

3.  Missions  the  Center. — When  we  talk  about 
missions  in  the  Xew  Testament  church,  we  are  talk- 
ing about  the  very  genius  and  heart  of  Christ's  work 
for  men.  It  was  the  missionary  spirit  that  brought 
him  into  the  world,  and  thai  Inspired  all  the  apos- 
tles and  early  disciples.  All  Gentile  nations  are  en- 
joying the  fruits  of  missionary  labor.  So  thorough- 
ly are  missions  the  mission  of  the  Christ  and  his 
church,  that  one  might  be  excused  for  thinking  any 
professed  disciple  of  his  who  is  not  missionary  has 
failed   utterly   to  catch   the   Christ  spirit. 


MISSIONS  103 

SOME   REFERENCE   BOOKS 

Missionary  Fields  and  Forces,  by  William  J.  Lha- 
mon;  Seeking  the  G\d  Paths,  by  Robert  Moffett,  Chap- 
ter VIII. 

TOPICS   FOR   HOME   STUDY   AND    CLASS    DIS- 
CUSSION 

1.  Christ,  the  great  missionary. 

2.  The    missionary   program    as    given    by    Luke. 

3.  The  missionary  spirit  in  the  early  churches. 

4.  How  to  create  a  missionary  conscience  in  the 
church   of   to-day. 

5.  The  value  of  State,  national  and  world-wide 
missionary    organizations. 

G.  The  value  of  missionary  organizations  in  the 
local  church. 

7.  Paul  the  missionary. 

8.  Encouraging  features  of  modern  missionary 
work. 

RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 
Use  Questions    163   to   169,    inclusive,   in    the   back 
of  this  book. 

BLACKBOARD    OUTLINE 


I.    CHIMST,  THE  GREAT  II.    DISCIPLES  C  AUG  HI 

MISSIONARY.  HIS  SPIRIT. 

1.  Definition.  1.   Zeal  of  Ear.  Christ. 

2.  Wo.  of  Gr.  Miss.  2.    Pet.  and  Cor. 

:;.   Wo.  of  Disc.  3.   Paul  in  Lar.  Wo. 

4.   Law  of  Growth.  4.  La.  Com. 

III.    CHURCHES  WERE  MISSIONARY. 

1.  Miss.  Cn.                  2.  Off.  fr.  Ch.  3.  Miss,  the  Cen. 


*- 


104  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

LESSON   XVII. 

The      New     Testament      Church      and 

Judgment 

I.     PARABLES   OF   THE   JUDGMENT 

The  judgment  was  a  frequent  theme  with  Christ 
and  the  apostles.  Christ  taught  the  people  to  ex- 
pect and  prepare  for  it.  One  of  the  finest  verbal 
pictures  drawn  by  the  Master  is  recorded  in  Matt. 
25,  and  is  a  vivid  picture  of  the  judgment.  The  sub- 
ject was  not  used  by  the  Christ  to  frighten  people. 
He  speaks  of  it  as  he  does  of  other  great  truths.  The 
Master  at  one  time  chided  the  Pharisees  for  neglect- 
ing  to   consider   judgment. 

"But  woe  unto  you  Pharisees!  tor  ye  tithe  mint  and 
rue  and  every  herb,  and  pass  over  justice  and  the  love  of 
God:  hut  these  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave 
the    other    undone'-    (Luke    11:42). 

1.  Parable  of  the  Ten  Virgins. 

"Then  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  likened  unto 
ten  virgins,  who  took  their  lamps,  and  wont  forth  to  meet 
the  bridegroom.  And  five  of  them  were  foolish,  and  five 
were  wise.  For  the  foolish,  when  they  took  their  lamps, 
took  no  oil  with  them  :  but  the  wise  took  oil  In  their  ves- 
sels with  their  lamps.  Now  while  the  bridegroom  tarried, 
they  all  slumbered  and  slept.  But  at  midnight  there  Is  a 
cry.  Behold,  the  bridegroom  !  Come  ye  forth  to  meet  him. 
Then  all  those  virgins  arose,  and  trimmed  their  lamps.  And 
the  foolish  said  unto  the  wise,  Give  us  of  your  oil:  for  our 
lamps  are  going  out.  But  the  wise  answered,  saying.  Tor- 
adventure  there  will  not  be  enough  for  us  and  you  :  go  ye 
rather  to  them  that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves.  And 
while  they  went  away  to  buy,  the  bridegroom  came;  and 
they  that  wore  ready  wont  in  with  him  to  the  marriage 
feast  :  and  the  door  was  shut.  Afterward  came  also  the 
other  virgins,  saying.  Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us.  But  he  an- 
swered and  said.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  I  know  you  not. 
Watch  therefore,  for  ve  know  not  the  day  nor  the  hour* 
(Matt.  25:  1-13). 


JUDGMENT  105 

2.  Parable  of  the  Talents. 

"For  it  to  as  iclit  n  a  man.  going  into  another  country, 
called  his  own  servants,  and  delivered  unto  them  his  good's. 
And  unto  on;>  lie  gave  five  talents,  to  another  two,  to 
another  one  ;  to  each  according  to  his  several  ability  ;  and 
tie  went  on  his  journey.  Straightway  he  that  received  the 
live  talents  went  and  traded  with  them,  and  made  other 
five  talents.  In  like  manner  he  also  that  received  the  two 
gained  other  two.  But  he  thai  received  the  one  went  away 
and  digged  in  the  earth,  and  hid  his  lord's  money.  Now 
after  a  long  time  the  lord  of  those  servants  cometh,  and 
maketh  a  reckoning  with  them.  And  he  that  received  the 
five  talents  came  and  brought  other  five  talents,  saying, 
Lord,  thou  deliveredst  unto  me  five  talents :  lo,  I  have 
gained  other  five  talents.  His  lord  said  unto  him.  Well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servant  :  thou  hast  been  faithful 
over  a  few  things,  I  will  set  thee  over  many  things;  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord.  And  he  also  that  received 
the  two  talents  came  and  said.  Lord,  thou  deliveredst  unto 
me  two  talents:  lo,  I  have  gained  other  two  talents.  His 
lord  said  unto  him,  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant : 
thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  set  thee 
over  many  things;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord. 
And  he  also  that  had  received  the  one  talent'came  and  said, 
Lord,  I  knew  thee  that  thou  art  a  hard  man,  reaping  where 
thou  didst  not  sow,  and  gathering  where  thou  didst  not  scat- 
ter ;  and  1  was  afraid,  and  went  away  and  hid  thy  tal- 
ent in  the  earth  :  lo,  thou  hast  thine  own.  But  his  lord 
answered  and  said  unto  him.  Thou  wicked  and  slothful 
servant,  thou  kuewest  that  I  reap  where  I  sowed  not,  and 
gather  where  I  did  nol  scatter;  thou  oughtest  therefore 
to  have  put  my  money  to  the  bankers,  and  at  my  coming  I 
should  have  received  back  mine  own  with  interest.  Take 
ye  away  therefore  the  talent  from  him,  and  give  it  unto 
him  that  hath  ten  talents.  For  unto  every  one  that  hath 
shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  abundance  :  but  from 
him  that  hath  not.  even  that  which  he  hath  shall  be  taken 
away.  And  cast  ye  out  the  unprofitable  servant  into  the 
outer  darkness  :  there  shall  be  the  weeping  and  the  gnash- 
ing of  teeth"    (  Matt.    25  :  14-80). 

The  thoughts  brought  out  in  the  parable  of  the 
ten  virgins  and  the  parable  of  the  talents,  are  well 
expressed  in  this  motto  which  Mr.  H.  J.  Heinz  hae 
frescoed   en  his  private  study: 

"Work  every  day  as  though  you  would  live  forever: 
Live  every  day  as  though  you  would  die  to-morrow." 


L06  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

:$.    Parable  of  the  Tares. 

"Another  parable  set  he  before  them,  Baying,  The  king- 
dom of  heaven  is  likened  unto  a  man  lliat  sowed  good 
seed  iii  his  field  :  hul  while  men  slept,  hi*  enemy  came 
and  Bowed  tares  also  among  the  wheat,  and  went  away, 
lint  when  the  Made  sprang  tip  and  brought  forth  fruit,  then 
appeared  the  tares  also.  And  the  servants  "I"  the  house 
holder  came  and  said  unto  him.  Sir.  didst  thou  not  sow 
good  seed  in  thy  field?  whence  then  hath  it  tares?  And 
he  said  unto  them,  An  enemy  hath  done  this.  And  He' 
servants  say  unto  him,  Wilt  thou  then  thai  we  go  and  gath 
er  them  up?  But  he  saith,  Nay:  lest  haply  while  ye  gather 
up  the  lares,  ye  root  up  the  wheat  with  them.  Let  both 
grow  together  until  the  harvest:  and  in  the  time  of  the 
harvest  I  will  say  to  the  reapers.  Gather  up  first  the  tares. 
and  hind  them  in  hundles  to  burn  them;  but  gather  the 
wheat   into  my   barn"    (Matt.    13:24-30). 

4.  Parable  of  the  Dragnet. 

"Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  net.  that 
was  east  into  the  sea.  and  gathered  of  every  kind:  which, 
when  it  was  filled,  they  drew  up  on  the  beach;  and  they 
sat  down,  ami  gathered  the  good  into  vessels,  but  the  had 
they  east  away.  So  shall  ii  lie  in  the  end  of  the  world: 
the'  angels  shall  come  forth,  and  sever  the  wicked  from 
among  the  righteous,  and  shall  cast  them  into  the  furnace 
,,f  lire:  there  shall  he  the  weeping  and  the  gnashing  of 
teeth"    i  Matt,    i::  :  47-50). 

II.    JUDGMENT  IS  NECESSARY  AND  UNIVERSAL 

1.  Necessary. — Judgment  is  a  necessary  part  of 
life  as  we  know  it.  There  is  order  in  the  universe, 
a  place  for  all.  Every  one  will  finally  go  to  his  place; 
that  is,  judgment.  The  separation  of  men  according 
to  character  is  constantly  going  on.  In  any  com- 
munity one  can  see  the  law  working  that  draws 
persons  of  like  character  together.  The  law  works 
Imperfectly  here,  but  beyond  there  will  be  no  hin- 
drances   to    its    operation. 

2.  Universal. — If  judgment  is  necessary,  it  is 
equally  necessary  for  all.  Jesus  declares  that  it  is 
universal. 


JUDGMENT  107 

"And  before  him  shall  be  gathered  all  the  nations :  and 
he  shall  separate  them  one  from  another,  as  the  shepherd 
separateth  the  sheep  from  the  goats"    (Matt.  25:32). 

Paul  declares  the  same: 

"And  reckonest  thou  this,  0  man,  who  judgest  them 
that  practice  such  things,  and  doest  the  same,  that  thou 
shalt  escape  the  judgment  of  God?"  (Rom.  2:3). 

Men  may  escape  the  judgment  of  our  courts,  but 
they  can  not  escape  the  judgment  of  God. 

III.     JUDGMENT   IS    NOW   IN   PROGRESS 

Sometimes  we  think  of  judgment  as  an  entirely 
future  event.  Perhaps  that  is  the  reason  why  some 
expect  to  escape  by  a  late  repentance. 

"All  things  therefore  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men 
should  do  unto  you,  even  so  do  ye  also  unto  them :  for 
this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets"    (Matt.  7:12). 

"For  judgment  is  without  mercy  to  him  that  hatb 
showed  no  mercy :  mercy  glorieth  against  judgment"  ( Jas. 
2:  13). 

"And  forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  also  have  forgiven 
our  debtors"    (Matt.  6:12). 

IV.     GOD    IS    THE    JUDGE    THROUGH   CHRIST 

1.  God  the  Judge. — Paul  declares  that  God  is  to 
be  the  Judge. 

"But  thou,  why  dost  thou  judge  thy  brother?  or  thou 
again,  why  dost  thou  set  at  nought  thy  brother?  for  we 
shall  all  stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of  God.  For  it  is 
written. 

As   I   live,   saith   the   Lord,    to   me   every  knee   shall   bow, 

And  every  tongue  shall  confess  to  God. 

So  then  each  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of  himself  to 
God"    (Rom.    14  :. 10-12). 

2.  Christ  the  Judge. — Paul  also  says  Christ  is  to 
judge. 

"For  we  must  all  be  made  manifest  before  the  judgment- 
seat  of  Christ :  that  each  one  may  receive  the  things  done  in 
the  body,  according  to  what  he  hath  done,  whethar  it  bit 
good  or  bad"  (2  Cor.  5  :  10). 


108  THi:    NEW    TESTAMENT    OHURCR 

3.  The  Blending  <>!'  One  and  Two. — These  two 
statements  blend    in   the  following  passages: 

"For  neither  doth  the  Father  judge  any  man.  but  be 
hath    given    all    judgmenl    uut<>    the    s.m"    (John    5:22). 

"Anil  he  gave  him  authority  to  execute  Judgment,  be- 
cause   he    is   a    smi    of    man"    (John    5:27). 

In  the  last  reference  the  reason  for  appointing 
Christ  judge  is  because  he  was  the  Son  of  man  as 
well  as  the  Son  of  God.  He  knows  the  divine  will, 
and  he  also  knows  men,  their  trials  and  difficulties. 
Christ  himself  is  to  be  the  test  by  which  character 
is   to   be   determined   and    destiny   secured. 

V.     THE   LAW   OF   THE   JUDGMENT 

We  are  to  be  judged  according  to  our  works. 

"And  I  saw  the  dead,  the  great  and  the  small,  stand- 
ing before  the  throne:  and  books  were  opened:  and  an- 
other book  was  opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life:  and  the 
dead  were  judged  oul  of  the  things  which  were  written 
In  the  books,  according  to   their  works"    (Rev.   20:12). 

The  applying  of  the  law  of  Christ  as  the  test  of 
judgment,  is  illustrated  in  the  great  parable  of  the 
judgment.     Read  Matt.  25:  31-46. 

VI.     PRACTICAL   BENEFITS  OF   SUCH 
TEACHING 

1.  All  Truth  is  Wholesome. — If  there  is  to  be  a 
judgment,  the  better  we  understand  it  and  prepare 
for   it,   the  better  will   we   fare. 

2.  It  Serves  as  a  Timely  Warning. 

"Rejoice.  0  young  man,  in  thy  youth,  and  lei  thy  lean 
cheer  thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth,  and  walk  in  the  ways 
of  thy  heart,  and  in  the  sight  of  thine  eyes  ;  but  know 
thou,  that  for  all  these  things  God  will  bring  thee  into 
judgment-'    (Bccl.   9:11). 


JUDGMENT  109 

SOME  REFERENCE  BOOKS 

The  Gospel  Preacher,  by  Benjamin  Franklin,  Ser- 
mon XX.,  Vol.  I.;  Servian*,  by  Charles  Reign  Sco- 
ville,  Sermon  XI.,  page  --ill. 

TOPICS   FOR    HOME   STUDY   AND    CLASS    DIS- 
CUSSION 

1.  What  is  the  great  lesson  taught  in  the  parable 
of  the  ten  virgins    (Matt.   2'5:  1-12). 

2.  What  great  truth  is  taught  by  the  parable  of 
the  talents    (Matt.  25:  13-31)? 

3.  What  great  truth  is  taught  by  the  rejection  of 
the  goats   (Matt.  25:  31,  32)? 

4.  What  do  we  learn  concerning  the  judgment  by 
the  parable  of  the  tares    (Matt.   13:  24-30)? 

5.  What  does  the  parable  of  the  dragnet  teach  us 
concerning  judgment  (Matt.  13:47-50)? 

6.  Can  a  just  God    punish  folks? 

7.  Discuss  the  judgment  that    is  now   in   progress. 

8.  What  is  the  great  law  of  judgment? 

RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 

Use  Questions  170  and  171  in  the  back  of  this  book. 


BLACKBOARD 

OUTLINE 

t.     PARABLES  OF  JUDGMENT. 

1.  Ten  Vir. 

2.  Tat. 

3.  Tares. 

4.  Drag. 

III.     NOW  IN  PROGRESS. 

V.   LAW  OF   . 

II.    JUDGMENT. 

1.  Nee. 

2.  Univ. 

IV.    THE  JUDGE. 

1.  God  tbr.  Chr. 

2.  Christ. 

UDGMENT. 

VI.     PRAC.  BEN.  OF 
1.  All  Tr.  Who. 

SUCH  TEACHING. 

2.   Ser.  as  Ti.  War. 

T 

* 

110  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

LESSON   XVIII. 

The      New     Testament      Church      and 
Christian   Union 

Never  lias  there  been  a  day  since  the  German 
Reformation   that  Christians  could  sing  as  truly: 

"We  arc  not  divided, 
All   one  body  we, 
One    in   hope   and   doctrine, 
( me   in  charity." 

I.   THE  NEED   OF   CHRISTIAN   UNION 

The  need  of  Christian  union  is  being  felt  on  every 
hand,  insomuch  that  it  is  being  put  into  practice 
in  many  ways  undreamed  of  by  workers  of  the  last 
century.  Among  the  many  reasons  why  we  need 
Christian  union,  we  mention  four  here: 

1.  The  Local  Expense. — The  expense  of  a  divided 
church  is  too  great  for  the  amount  of  work  done. 
We  are  safe  in  saying  that  fully  five  times  as  much 
good  could  be  accomplished  with  the  same  amount 
of  money  if  we  had  a  united  church.  In  a  town  of 
six  hundred  people  there  are  five  churches,  each 
of  which  has  a  poorly  paid  minister.  They  havfl 
five  houses  of  worship,  any  one  of  which  would 
hold  the  entire  audiences  of  all  the  churches  com- 
bined. They  have  poor  choirs,  poor  Sunday-schools, 
poor  Young  People's  Society,  and  even  poor,  but 
earnest,  ministers.  An  onlooker  would  not  think  that 
these  churches  had  anything  in  common,  as  they  many 
times  speak  unfavorably  of  each  other.  People  with 
out  are  disgusted,  and  the  people  within  are  at  the 


CHRISTIAN    UNION  111 

point  of  despair.  And,  indeed,  who  can  censure 
them?  They  have  wasted  money,  time,  talent  and 
souls,  because  they  have  hardened  their  hearts 
against  the  prayer  of  the  .Master.  Can  we  not, 
amidst  our  confusion,  hear  him  now  in  the  stillness 
of  the  garden,  as  he  breathes  out  that  wonderful 
prayer:  "That  they  may  all  be  one,  that  the  world 
may  believe  that  thou  [Father]  didst  send  me"  (John 
17:  20,  21).  "Who  is  there  who  does  not  deplore  the 
existing  state  of  Christendom?  The  evils  just  spoken 
of  are  not  imaginary  ones,  nor  are  such  cases  as  the 
above  isolated  ones,  such  as  might  be  exceptions  to 
the  general  rule  or  such,  as  might  rarely  occur.  In 
this  town  from  $3,000  to  $6,000  are  spent  annually 
for  the  Lord,  and  goes  to  pay  the  ministers  who 
spend  two-thirds  of  their  time  defending  what  they 
themselves  admit  to  be  their  denominational  pecu- 
liarities. In  this  way  their  time  is  spent,  and  their 
money  given  for  the  Lord  is  used  in  building  sec- 
tarian walls  and  thus  making  a  way  for  the  spread 
of  infidelity.  The  cause  of  Christ  is  disgraced  by  his 
professed  friends.  And  worst  of  all,  the  blame  rests 
almost  entirely  upon  the  ministry.  Would  it  not  be 
better  for  these  five  churches  to  retain  one  of  their 
ministers,  then  send  the  other  four  out  as  mission- 
aries to  preach  Christian  union?  Sell  four  of  the 
church  houses  and  use  the  money  for  spreading  th= 
gospel.  You  say  this  is  not  practicable.  We  ask, 
"Is  it  the  Lord's  will?"  Certainly  such  work  as  this 
will  be  done  just  as  soon  as  we  are  willing  to  say 
to  our  great  leader,  King  Jesus,  "Thy  will,  not  mine, 
be  done." 


112  THE    NEW     VE8TAMENT    CHURCH 

2.  The  Administrative  Expense  for  World-wide 
Work. — The  expense  of  having  one  hundred  mis- 
sionary hoards  when  one,  or,  at  most,  a  few,  would 
do  more  effective  work,  is  very  wrong.  There  is 
also  The  expense  of  hundreds  of  small  colleges,  al- 
most all  of  which  are  scantily  endowed,  while  with 
a  united  church  we  could  have  enough  with  untold 
better  equipment  and  advantages.  Then  with  a  uni- 
ted church  the  philanthropic  associations  could  be 
better  and  more  advantageously  carried  on. 

3.  Can  Not  Save  the  World. — We  need  Christian 
union  because  a  divided  church  can  not  save  thri 
world.  Many  a  person  with  his  heart  burning  for 
the  truth  has  been  turned  to  skepticism  because  of 
the  persistency  of  sectarianism.  Often  the  mission- 
aries have  been  asked  to  state  what  they  wanted  the 
earnest  inquirer  to  believe  ere  they  demanded  that 
he  must  believe  in  order  to  be  saved.  In  our  en- 
deavor to  win  the  world  to  the  one  faith,  we  do  not 
go  about  it  in  a  oneness  of  effort.  Christendom  pre- 
sents to  the  world  a  divided  church  because  it  is  di- 
vided. We  are  making  it  manifest  to  the  world 
that  we  ourselves  are  not  able  always  to  unite  in 
practical  work,  or  are  not  even  one  as  to  what  Chris- 
tianity really  is.  Our  divisions  magnify  our  petty 
differences  until  we  think  them  insurmountable. 
They  create  a  spirit  foreign  to  Christ,  and  cause  em- 
barrassment in  every  line  of  Christian  work.  Our 
divisions  go  to  the  mission  fields  because  there  is 
such  a  great  sectarian  element  in  the  Christian  life 
of  the  times.  What  happens  on  the  mission  field  is 
such    as    is    natural    and    inevitable    under    existing 


CHRISTIAN    UNION  113 

conditions.  If,  again,  Christ's  purpose  was  to  save 
humanity,  and  the  present  conditions  can  not  do 
that,  then  conditions  must  change. 

\.  We  are  Misdirecting  Our  Vital  Forces. — We 
need  Christian  union  because  in  the  wars  of  secta- 
rianism we  are  misdirecting  our  vital  forces,  and  will 
ever  do  so  as  long  as  the  church  exists.  There  is 
still  something  in  Voltaire's  sneer,  who  said,  "You 
Christians  are  disputing  whether  the  Holy  Ghost  pro- 
ceeds from  the  Father  as  well  as  the  Son,  whilst  mul- 
titudes have  not  even  heard  if  there  be  a  Holy  Ghost; 
whether  any  infants  have  been  elected  from  eternity, 
whilst  myriads  of  infants  are  growing  up  in  vice 
and  sin;  whether  the  heathen  on  the  other  side  of 
the  globe  will  hereafter  be  saved,  whilst  the  heathen 
at  your  door  are  already  lost.  You  are  splitting  hairs 
of  theology,  with  society  falling  to  pieces  around 
you.  If  this  be  Christianity,  we  want  none  of  it. 
Settle  your  useless  disputes  and  unite  vigorously  in 
improving  the  world  that  now  is,  and  then  we  will 
listen  to  your  promises  of  a  better  world  to  come." 

The  writer  is  certainly  stating  the  facts.  What 
shall  we  do  to  remedy  them?  The  church  is  the 
light  of  the  world  and  the  salt  of  the  earth.  Shall 
we  let  this  light  become  dim,  or  the  salt  lose  its 
savor?     This  question  is  for  you   to  answer. 

II.     SIGNS   OF   CHRISTIAN   UNION 

The  associative  tendency  of  our  age  is  very 
marked.  In  many  quarters  this  tendency  is  strong 
enough  to  transcend  sectarian  spirit,  and  wherever 
the  war  on  creeds  has  ceased  a  true  Christian  spirit 


114  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

Is  seen.  Two  centuries  ago  it  was  even  dangerous 
to  breathe  in  secret  a  word  of  religious  toleration, 
but  to-day  we  find  Christians  of  every  name,  and 
nations  uniting  their  forces  to  oppose  the  saloon,  po- 
litical corruption  and  other  mighty  evils.  In  our 
great  conventions  thousands  upon  thousands  of  Chris- 
tians are  brought  together,  not  under  any  human 
name,  not  impelled  by  sectarian  spirit,  but  who  are 
acknowledging  only  King  Jesus  as  their  leader,  and 
who  are  taking  as  their  motto  the  simple  yet  won- 
derful words,  "The  World  for  Christ."  In  every 
country  and  in  every  tongue  we  hear  the  harmoni- 
ous strain: 

"Blest   be  the  tie  that  binds 

Our   hearts   in   Christian   love; 
The   fellowship    of  kindred   minds 
Is  like  to  that  above." 

Signs  of  co-operation  are  appearing  on  every  side, 
so  that  even  those  who  run  may  read  them.  As 
nation  is  getting  closer  to  nation,  class  to  class,  na- 
tionality to  nationality,  division  to  division,  can  we 
not  catch  hints  of  a  time  when  the  world  will  ac 
tually  be  evangelized;  when  the  best  thoughts  and 
ideals  will  be  the  common  property  of  all,  and  when 
truth  and  righteousness  will  rule  over  every  nation? 
It  is  certainly  true  that  nations,  peoples,  lives  and 
motives  are  uniting  as  never  before,  but  whether  or 
not  the  church  will  .icet  this  tendency  with  her 
glad   message,   remains   yel    to   be   seen. 

To  sum  up  the  signs  of  Christian  union,  we  men- 
tion six: 

I.  The  Decline  of  I >ciiomin;it ionnlism.  The  lead- 
ers   in    all    of    the    religious    bodies    of    Christendom 


CHRISTIAN    UNION  115 

are  getting  too  big  to  be  bound  down  by  party,  and 
realize  that  Christ  and  his  cause  come  first  and 
denominationalism  second. 

12.  The  Masses  are  Demanding  It. — The  great  ma- 
jority of  the  masses  of  the  congregations  of  all  de- 
nominations are  willing  now  to  have  a  united  church. 
This  is  manifested  by  their  willingness  to  co-operate 
in  every  practical  union  movement. 

3.  Bible  Study  Spreading. — The  Bible  is  studied 
more  extensively  now  than  ever.  In  one  union 
teacher-training  class  in  Cincinnati  there  were  eighty- 
one  different  churches  represented.  Certainly  this 
is  bringing  people  closer  together  where  they  forget 
differences;  for  all  thoughts  are  centered  upon  the 
Bible  and  the   Christ  of  the  Bible. 

4.  Creeds  are  Passing  into  Disuse. — Recently  1 
asked  a  very  successful  teacher  of  a  certain  denomi- 
nation how  long  it  had  been  since  she  had  seen  her 
creed,  and  she  told  me  that  she  had  not  seen  it  for 
seven  years,  and  possibly  would  not  see  it  for  an- 
other seven.  I  asked  her  what  she  was  teaching  her 
class,  and  she  replied,  "The  Bible."  When  all  teach- 
ers of  all  denominations  teach  the  Bible,  and  the 
Bible  only,  we  shall  soon  find  ourselves  together. 

5.  Geographical  Barriers  Have  Been  Removed. — 
French,  German,  English  and  Scottish  churches  in 
our  country,  and  in  others,  are  compacted  together, 
using  one  language  and  growing  into  one  nation- 
ality. This  "century  of  humanity,"  as  Hall  Caine 
calls  it,  is  the  century  when  we  are  one,  with  the 
same  interests,  aims,  hopes,  purposes,  loves,  sympa- 
thies,  brotherhood   and   fatherhood. 


116  THE    NEW     TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

6.  International  Interdenominational  Movements. 

— We  are  sure  that  the  greatest  interdenominational 
movement  of  the  past  and  present  centuries  is  the 
International  Sunday-school  Association.  In  America 
alone,  fully  fifteen  thousand  conventions  are  held 
every  year.  These  conventions  bring  people  of  all 
names  and  creeds  together  for  the  one  common  pur- 
pose, and  that  is  to  make  the  Bible  an  open  book 
in  the  hands  of  both  teachers  and  scholars.  The 
Christian  people  of  to-day  are  uniting  not  only  to 
save  young  America  for  Christ,  but  to  enlist  men 
and  women  in  Bible  study  and  in  a  more  effective 
Christian  service. 

In  connection  with  the  International  Sunday- 
school  Association  we  ought  to  mention  all  other 
union  movements,  such  as  Young  People's  Christian 
Endeavor  Society,  American  Bible  Society,  American 
Tract  Society,  Young  Mens  Christian  Associations, 
Young  Women's  Christian  Associations,  the  Women's 
Christian  Temperance  Union,  Anti-Saloon  League,  etc. 

We  can  not  regard  these  signs  as  temporary  sen- 
timents, but  rather  as  a  great  movement  of  the 
church  toward  that  ideal  unity  which  our  Lord  had 
in  view  when  he  established  it.  We  are  beginning 
to  exalt  Christ  above  all  party  names  and  creeds, 
and  to  regard  him  as  the  only  sufficient  foundation 
for  a  church  universal.  s<>  may  we  not  hope  that 
this  spirit  of  toleration  and  work  of  association  may 
be  that  which  will  advance  the  closer  and  more 
perfect    unity    which    we    trust    is   not    far   away'.' 

In  our  next  lesson  we  will  consider  the  union  of 
all  Christians   on    the    New   Testament  basis. 


CHRISTIAN    UNION  117 

SOME   REFERENCE   BOOKS 

The  Great  Controversy,  by  Ashley  S.  Johnson; 
First  Principles,  by  M.  M.  Davis,  "The  True  Church," 
page  195;  The  Gospel  Preacher,  by  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin, Sermons  XIII.  and  XV.,  Vol.  T.;  From  Darkness 
to  Light,  by  various  authors,  "The  Relation  of  Ds- 
nominationalism  to  Christian  Union,"  pages  23  and 
24;  Christian  Union,  by  David  R.  Shields. 

TOPICS   FOR   HOME    STUDY    AND    CLASS    DIS- 
CUSSION 

1.  Plans  for  Christian  union.  (See  Isaac  Errett's 
tract,   Our  Position,   Chapter   4.) 

2.  The  spirit  of  sectarianism  versus  the  spirit  of 
love.     (See  tract  by  F.  D.  Power  on  Christian  Union.) 

3.  The  minister's  part  in  bringing  about  Christian 
union.  (See  tract  by  F.  D.  Power  on  Christian  Un- 
ion, last  paragraph.) 

4.  The  union  movement  of  to-day.  (See  tract  by 
Isaac  Brrett  on  A   True  Basis   of  Christian   Union.) 

5.  Human  creeds  a  barrier  to  Christian  union.  (See 
Isaac  Errett's  tract,  The  True  Basis  of  Christian 
Union,  pages  13-15.) 

6.  Is  baptism  a  hindrance  to  Christian  union? 
(See  tract  on  Christian  Baptism,  by  B.  C.  Deweese; 
and  M.  B.  Hayden's  tract,  Facts  About  Baptism.) 

7.  Why  do  churches  require  more  to  be  a  member 
of  those  churches  than  the  Bible  requires  in  ord?r 
that  we  may  be  Christians? 

8.  The  disadvantages  of  a  divided  church, 

9.  The  advantages  of  a  united  church. 


118  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

10.  The  signs  of  restoration  of  the  New  Testament 
Church. 

1 1 .  The  successes  of  the  movement  to  restore  the 
New  Testament  church. 

RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 

Use  Questions  172  and  173  in  back  of  this  book. 
BLACKBOARD   OUTLINE 


I.    THE  NEED.  II.    THE  SIGNS. 

1.  Local  Expense.  1.  Dec.  of  Denom. 

2.  Ad.  Ex.  for  \V-w.  Wo.  2.  Bible  Study  Spreading. 
:5.  Can  not  Save  the  World.       3.   Cr.  are  Pass,  into  Disuse. 
4.   Misdir.  our  Vit.  For.  4.  Ge.  Bar.  nave  been  Rem. 

5.  Inter.  Denom.  Movement. 


LESSON   XIX. 

Restoration     of     the     New     Testament 
Church.     A   Resume 

I.     THE   NEW   TESTAMENT   CHURCH    REQUIRES 
OF   ME   NO   OTHER   CREED   THAN   CHRIST 

It  does  not  ask  me  if  I  believe  the  Apostles'  (?) 
Creed,  or  if  I  will  be  true  to  the  rules  of  any  denomi- 
nation, but  permits  me  to  say  simply,  "I  believe  in 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Bon  of  the  living  God"  (Matt.  16: 
\<ts  8:  :'.7).  On  this  confession  of  faith  the 
Teatamenl  disciples  were  baptized  in  the  name 
Of  the  Fa i  her  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
No  one  can  improve  upon  this  creed.  It  is  all-inclu- 
sive and  all-sufficient.  So  simple  that  the  child  who 
has  come  to  I  he  age  of  accountability  can  understand 


THE    RESTORATION  119 

and  accept  it,  and  so  profound  that  the  deepest  stu- 
dent can  not  fathom  its  depth. 

It  is  universal.  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  United 
Brethren,  Baptists,  Congregationalists,  Episcopalians, 
can  all  accept  it  without  any  mental  reservations. 
Then,  lovers  of  peace  and  unity,  let  us  say  nothing 
about  man-made  creeds,  with  all  their  irreconcilable 
differences,  and  follow  God's  way.  "Choose  you  this 
day  whom  ye  will  serve." 

II.  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH    HONORS 
ITS   FOUNDER   BY   WEARING    HIS   NAME 

It  is  the  Scriptural  name  (Matt.  16:  18),  and  the 
name  that  will  unite  all  Christians.  It  is  dishon- 
oring our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  to  take  any  other 
name.  Before  a  lady  is  married  to  her  betrothed  it 
is  wrong  in  the  sight  of  the  law  for  her  to  wear  his 
name,  but  after  their  marriage  it  is  very  wrong 
for  her  to  refuse  to  wear  his  name.  The  church 
is  the  bride  of  Christ.  (John  3:  29.)  Before  a 
person  comes  into  his  church  it  is  wrong  for  him 
to  wear  Christ's  name,  but  after  he  accepts  Christ 
and  is  a  member  of  his  church  it  is  very  wrong  in 
the  sight  of  God  not  to  wear  his  name.  We  are  not 
the  only  Christians,  but  are  Christians  only.  If  we 
love  our  Saviour,  we  should  be  glad  to  wear  his  name. 

III.  THE   NEW   TESTAMENT    CHURCH    RECOG. 

NIZES   NO    DIVISIONS 

All  Christians  were  originally  one.  They  may 
again  become  so.  Divisions  are  wrong  (John  17: 
21;    1   Cor.    1:  10-13). 


120  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

IV.  THE   NEW    TESTAMENT   CHURCH    IS   COM- 
POSED   OF  BAPTIZED  PENITENT  BELIEVERS 

The  steps  into  Christ  are,  believe  (Mark  16:  16), 
repent  (Acts  2:  38),  confess  (Matt.  11:  32,  33),  be 
baptized  (Mark  16:  16;  John  13:  •">;  Acts  22:  16;  Matt. 
28:  19).  No  one  is  old  enough  to  accept  Christ  till 
he  can  first  believe.    This  is  always  the  first  step. 

V.  THE    BAPTISM    OF    THE    NEW    TESTAMENT 
CHURCH  IS  THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  PENITENT 

BELIEVER  IN  WATER  IN  THE  NAME 

OF  THE  FATHER,  SON  AND 

HOLY   SPIRIT  . 

There  is  only  one  baptism  ( Eph.  4:5).  If  sprink- 
ling is  baptism,  I  have  a  right  to  ask  you  for  Bible 
authority,  and  since  you  can  give  me  no  Scripture 
for  it,  I  must  take  that  which  is  revealed  in  God's 
word.  Have  you  been  baptized?  If  you  have  gone 
down  into  the  water  (Aits  8:38),  been  baptized 
(Acts  8:38),  come  up  out  of  the  water  (Matt.  ?,: 
HI:  Ads  8:  38);  if  your  baptism  was  a  figure  of  a 
burial  (Rom.  6:4),  a  planting  (covered  up — Rom. 
6:5),  a  resurrection  (Rom.  6:5),  then  you  have 
Scripturally  been  baptized.  To  change  the  form  from- 
immersion  to  sprinkling  or  pouring  makes  it  mean- 
ingless, and  hence  robs  it  of  its  intended  significance. 
Many  people  doubt  the  validity  of  their  baptism  if 
they  have  been  sprinkled  or  poured,  and  rightly  they 
ought  to  if  they  can  ool  find  a  reason  in  God's  word. 
Immersion  is  not  in  doubt.  When  one  is  immersed  he 
never   demands   sprinkling    or   pouring.     Thousands 


THE    RESTORATION 


121 


who  have  been  sprinkled  or  poured  have  demanded 
immersion.  There  is  a  safe  ground.  If  you  doubt 
your  baptism,  you,  and  not  God,  are  responsible  for 
your  doubt.  Are  you  willing  to  risk  eternity  upon 
a  doubt?  A  few  years  ago,  while  J.  V.  Coombs  was 
immersing  a  number  of  persons  in  California,  an  old 
lady  came  up  and  said:  "Will  you  immerse  me?"  Her 
confession  was  taken,  and  as  she  came  out  of  the 
water  she  said  so  all  around  could  hear:  "Now  I 
know  I  am  right,  but  I  have  been  doubting  my  bap- 
tism for  forty  years." 

"The  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter,"  says  L.  C. 
Wilson,  in  his  "History  of  Sprinkling"  (pp.  110-112), 
"is  summed  up  in  these  words:  If  sprinkling  water 
upon  a  person  is  Christian  baptism,  then  God  has 
given  us  the  wrong  book,  for  the  Bible  does  not  con- 
tain one  word  upon  the  subject.  Let  a  person  who 
never  heard  a  word  said  on  the  subject  of  baptism, 
read  the  New  Testament,  and  he  will  never  get  the 
idea  that  sprinkling  is  baptism. 

"In  the  early  settlement  of  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  a 
missionary  was  traveling  up  the  Mississippi,  on  his 
way  to  preach  to  the  Indians.  On  the  boat  he  fell 
in  company  with  an  intelligent  Indian,  and,  after 
some  talk,  the  preacher  gave  the  Indian  a  New  Tes- 
tament, requesting  him  to  read  it,  which  the  Indian 
promised  to  do.  They  separated.  Time  passed,  and 
on  a  future  visit  to  the  same  place,  the  preacher 
fell  in  company  with  the  same  Indian. 

"After  friendly  greetings  and  mutual  rejoicing,  the 
Indian  remarked:  'Indian  want  white  man  to  baptize 
him.'     This  was  glad  news  to  the  preacher,  who  at 


122  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

once  began  to  make  preparations  for  the  solemn  rite. 
A  small  table  was  brought  and  a  bowl  of  water  placed 
thereon.  The  Indian  watched  the  preparation  with 
great  and  growing  interest.  His  curiosity  being  ex- 
cited beyond  control,  he  asked:  'What  is  the  white 
man  doing?'  'I  am  getting  ready  to  baptize  you,' 
was  the  reply. 

'"The  Indian  looked  puzzled,  and  remarked:  'How 
is  the  white  man  going  to  baptize  Indian  here?'  '1 
have  the  water  here,  and  will  soon  be  ready,'  said 
the  preacher.  The  Indian  looked  at  the  minister  in 
blank  astonishment,  and  remarked:  'White  man  can't 
get  Indian  in  that  bowl.  How,  how,  baptize  Indian?' 
'I  will  dip  my  fingers  in  the  water  and  place  a  little 
water  on  your  forehead,'  said  the  preacher.  The 
Indian  looked  amazed  and  confounded,  and,  taking 
from  his  pocket  a  well-worn  copy  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, handed  it  to  the  preacher  with  the  significant 
remark,  'White  man  give  Indian  wrong  book — white 
man  give    Indian  wrong  book.' 

"The  Indian  had  read  only  the  New  Testament,  and 
hence  had  only  New  Testament  fdeas  on  the  subject. 
And  as  you  can  not  get  out  of  a  book  something  that 
is  not  in  it,  so  the  Indian  could  have  no  ideas  about 
sprinkling  water,  since  it  is  not  in  the  book.  If 
sprinkling  is  what  Jesus  commanded,  and  what  the 
apostles  taught,  and  what  the  constitution  of  the 
New  T;estamen1  requires,  the  preacher  did  give  the 
Indian  the  wrong  book,  for  the  New  Testament  we 
have   is   entirely  blank   on   this  subject." 

The  Greek  word  baptizo  means  to  dip  or  to  im- 
merse.    No  Greek  scholar  in  any  century  ever  trans- 


THE    RESTORATION  123 

lated  it  to  sprinkle.    The  form  was  changed  by  man. 
Choose  you   whom  you  will  serve,  God  or  man. 

VI.  THE    NEW     TESTAMENT     CHURCH     TAKES 
THE    BIBLE    AS   THE   SUFFICIENT   RULE 

OF    FAITH    AND    PRACTICE 

(2  Tim.  3:16,  17) 

It  is  claimed  that  the  denominational  confessions 
of  faith,  disciplines  and  creeds  are  founded  upon 
the  Bible.  If  this  is  true,  we  have  the  Bible,  hence 
we  do  not  need  them.  If  they  contain  more  than 
the  Bible,  they  contain  too  much.  If  they  contain 
less  than  the  Bible,  they  contain  too  little.  If  they 
contain  the  very  same  as  the  Bible,  we  don't  need 
them.  This,  it  seems,  is  sufficient  if  we  are  earn- 
estly seeking  for  a  true  basis  of  union. 

VII.  THE     NEW     TESTAMENT     CHURCH     PRE- 
SENTS  THE  RATIONAL  PLAN  OF  SALVATION 

All  will  admit  the  following  proposition:  He  who 
believes  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  liv- 
ing God,  repents  •  of  his  sins,  confesses  Christ,  is 
baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son 
and  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  lives  a  pure  life,  will 
be  saved.  This  will  save  every  man.  It  is  all  that 
the  Bible  requires,  so  let  us  preach  it  without  any 
mystery. 


124  THE    Y/.'U     TESTAMENT    CHI  RCH 

VIII.     THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  CHURCH  PERMITS 

THE  CHRISTIAN  TO  REMEMBER  THE  LORD'S 

DEATH   TILL  HE   COMES   BY  PARTAK- 

ING  OF  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER  THE 

FIRST  DAY  OF  EVERY  WEEK 

Acts  20:  7  tells  us  that  it  was  the  custom  of  the 
early  disciples  to  meet  together  each  Lord's  Day  for 
this  holy  purpose.  A  minister  said  to  me  not  long 
since,  '"I  would  like  to  have  the  Lord's  Supper  ob- 
served oftener,  but  the  canons  of  my  church  will 
not  permit  me."  Oh,  my  friends,  the  darkness  of 
sectarianism  is  getting  too  thick  when  we  will  per- 
mit the  rules  of  man  to  stand  between  us  and  our 
Saviour.  The  Lord's  Supper  is  the  important  serv- 
ice of  the  Lord's  Day,  for  it  is  there  through  the 
love  of  our  Saviour  that  we  meet  as  one  to  remem- 
ber him  who,  although  equal  with  God,  "took  upon 
him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was  made  in  the 
likeness  of  men:  and  being  found  in  fashion  as  a 
man,  he  humbled  himself  and  became  obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.  Wherefore  God 
also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name 
which  is  above  every  name:  that  at  the  name  of 
Jesus  every  knee  should  bow.  of  things  in  heaven 
and  things  in  earth  and  things  under  the  earth; 
and  that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father" 
(Phil.  2:  7-11  ). 


THE    RESTORATION  125 

IX.  THE   NEW   TESTAMENT   CHURCH   PERMITS 
ITS  MEMBERS  TO  ENJOY  THE  FREE- 

DOM   OF    THE    GOSPEL 

Paul  says,  "Stand  fast  therefore  in  the  liherty 
wherewith  Christ  has  made  us  free,"  and  if  he  were 
living  to-day  I  believe  he  would  say,  "and  be  not  en- 
tangled in  the  yoke  of  sectarianism."  As  a  member 
of  the  Christian  ■  Church,  I  am  permitted  to  speak 
where  the  Bible  speaks  and  be  silent  where  it  is 
silent. 

Our  motto,  in  brief,  is: 

No  Name  but  Christ's, 

No  Creed  but  Christ. 

No  Book  but  the  Bible, 

No  Plea  but  the  Gospel. 
Christ  is  the  all  in  all.     Everything  else  is  subor- 
dinated to  that  divine  life.     Place  him  as  the  cen- 
ter of  our  plea  and  life,  and  the  nearer  we  come  to 
Christ  the  closer  we  will  be  to  each  other. 

X.  THE  NEW   TESTAMENT  CHURCH  PRESENTS 

AN  INFALLIBLY  SAFE  WAY 

Are  we  seeking  for  an  infallibly  safe  way?  We 
have  found  it.  Will  you  follow  it?  It  may  be 
right  or  it  might  be  wrong  to  wear  man-made  names. 
All  admit  that  it  is  right  to  take  Christ'3  name  for 
the  name  of  the  church.  Tt  may  be  right  or  it  may 
be  wrong  to  make  and  use  human  creeds.  It  is 
right,  as  all  know,  to  take  the  Bible  as  our  rule  of 
faith  and  practice.  Sprinkling  may  be  right  (for 
argument's   sake)    or   it  may  be  wrong.     All  admit 


126  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

immersion  to  be  the  sure  and  valid  baptism.  If  you 
doubt  your  baptism,  you  can  remove  that  doubt  by 
being  immersed,  for  all  accept  immersion.  Be  on 
the  safe  side.  The  divisions  of  Christendom  are 
wrong  (John  17:  21;  1  Cor.  1:  10),  and  it  is  the  duty 
of  every  Christian  to  live  and  work  for  a  reunion 
of  all  Christians,  as  it  was  in  the  New  Testament 
times.  It  pleases  Satan  to  see  God's  forces  divided. 
United  we  win,  divided  we  fail. 

Will  you  help  to  restore  the  New  Testament  church, 
in  name  in  ordinance  and  in  life?  We  may  do  this 
by  refusing  to  wear  any  other  name  than  Christ,  to 
preach  any  other  gospel  than  Christ,  to  lake  no  other 
creed  than  Christ  and  to  receive  no  other  rule  of 
faith  and  practice  than  the  Bible.  To  restore  the 
New  Testament  church  will  rule  out  all  of  our  unholy 
divisions.  It  will  obliterate  all  arbitrary  and  need- 
less distinctions  that  separate  our  common  humanity. 
It  will  give  a  new  impel  us  to  missionary  effort.  It 
will  enable  us  to  use  our  forces  in  blessing  rather 
than  in  injuring  humanity.  It  will  help  us  to  take 
a  firm  and  definite  stand  against  the  saloon  and  kin 
dred  evils.  It  will  awaken  a  more  delicate  con- 
science concerning  our  relation  to  Christ  and  the 
church.  It  will  hasten  the  glad  day  lor  which  Christ 
prayed  and  inward  which  all  harmony-loving  Chris- 
tians are  looking.  It  will  enable  every  Christian  not 
to  glory  in  an\  man.  or  in  any  human  creed  or  de- 
nomination, or  peculiar  doctrine,  hut  to  say: 

"In    I  he    rmss   uf   Christ    I    glory, 

Towering  o'er   the   wrecks   of  time; 
All   the  light   hi   sacred   Btory 

Gathers  nmnil   its   head  sublime." 


THE    RESTORATION  127 

It  will  enable  each  one  of  us  to  say  with  Paul, 
"I  determine  to  know  nothing — save  Jesus  Christ 
and  him  crucified."     Then 

"How  blest  and  how  joyous  will  be  the  glad  day 

When  heart   beats  to  heart    in  the  work  of  our  Lord; 
When  Christians  united  shall  swell   the  grand  lay, 
Divisions  all  ended,  triumphant   His  word  !" 

No  human  names,  no  human  creeds,  no  man-made 
systems,  but  ''Christ  is  all  and  in  all." 

"Like  a   mighty  army   moves   the   church   of  God  ; 
Brothers,  we   are   treading  where  the  saints  have   trod  ; 
We  are   not  divided,    all  one  body    we. 
One  in  hope  and  doctrine,  one  in  charity. 

"Crowns  and  thrones  may  perish,  kingdoms  rise  and  wane, 
But   the   church   of   Jesus    constant   will    remain ; 
Gates  of  hell  can   never   'gainst  that    church  prevail ; 
We  have  God's  own  promise,  and  that  can  not  fail. 

"Onward,   then,  ye  people  ;  join  our  happy  throng ; 
Blend    with   ours    your    voices   in    the    triumph    song; 
Glory,   laud   and   honor   unto   Christ,   the   King, 
This   thro'   countless   ages   men   and    angels    sing." 

TOPICS    FOR    HOME    STUDY   AND   CLASS    DIS- 
CUSSION 

1.  The  practical  value  of  the  creed  of  the  New 
Testament  church. 

2.  Why  we  should  honor  Christ  by  placing  his 
name  upon  the  church, 

3.  What  the  New  Testament  says  concerning  di- 
visions in  the  church. 

4.  The  conditions  of  membership  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament church. 

5.  The  baptism  of  the  New  Testament  church. 

6.  The  rule  of  faith  and  practice  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament church. 


128  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHT'RCH 

7.  The  way  the  Lord's  Supper  was  observed  in  the 
New  Testament    church. 

8.  The  value  of  the  freedom  of  the  New  Testament 
church. 

9.  The  infallibly  safe  way  revealed  by  the  New  Tes- 
tament church. 

10.  What  a  restoration  of  the  Now  Testament 
church    would    mean. 

11.  The  people  who  are  pleading  for  the  restoration 
of  the  Xew  Testament. 

SOME  REFERENCE  BOOKS 

Orthodox)/  in  Ihe  Civil  Courts,  by  J.  H.  Edwards; 
On  the  Bock,  by  David  R.  Dungan;  From  Darkness 
to  light,  by  various  authors;  Sketches  of  Our  Pio- 
neers, by  F.  D.  Power;  Sermons,  by  Chas.  Reign  Sco- 
ville,  "The  Impregnable  Rock,"  Chapter  I.;  Seeking 
the  Old  Paths,  by  Robert  Moffett,  Chapter  L;  The 
Great  Salvation,  by  E.  V.  Zollars,  Chapter  I.  of  the 
Appendix. 

BLACKBOARD  OUTLINE 


I.  No  Creed  but  Christ.  VI.  The  Bible  the  Hul.-. 

II.  No  Name  but  Cln-Ni.  VII.  Rati.  PI.  of  Salva. 

III.  No  Divisions.  VIII.  L.  8.  Each  Week. 
iv.  Cond.  of  Membership.  IX.  Freedom  of  Gospel. 
V.     N.T.  Baptism.  \.  Infallibly  Safe  Way. 


4- 


WINNING    MEN  119 

LESSON   XX. 

Winning    Men    to    the   New   Testament 

Church 

I.     FOUR  CLASSES 

In  your  work  in  winning  souls,  do  not  give  what 
you  think,  but  what  the  Bible  says.  Truth  will  con- 
vict. You  will  meet  at  least  four  classes  of  peo- 
ple in  your  work. 

1.  Those  who  are  anxious  to  become  Christians,  and 
who  simply  want  to  understand  how. 

2.  Those  who  do  not  want  to  become  Christians, 
and  who  do  not  want  any  one  to  talk  with  them 
about  the   matter. 

3.  Those  whose  lives  are  saturated  with  sin. 

4.  Those  who  are  living  in  a  fairly  respectable  man- 
ner, and  who  are  indifferent  as  to  Christian  lives. 

II.     EXCUSES  AND  HOW  TO  MEET  THEM 

Each  class  must  be  dealt  with  in  a  different  way 
and  by  different  passages  of  Scripture.  The  pas- 
sages here  are  simply  suggestive.  Workers  are  asked 
to  add  to  them  according  to  the  needs  of  your  serv- 
ices. 

1.  I  Am  too  Great  a  Sinner;   It  is  too  Late  Now. 

"Come  now.  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  Jehovah : 
though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as 
snow:  though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as 
wool"    i  Isa.    1  :  18). 

"All  that  which  the  Father  giveth  me  shall  come  unto 
me:  and  him  that  eometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out" 
(John  G : 37). 

"For  the  Son  of  man  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost"   (.Luke  19:10). 


130         THK    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

'2.  I  Am  Good  Enough. 

•Faithful  is  the  Baying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation, 
that  Christ  Jesus  came  Into  the  world  to  save  sinners  ;  of 
whom   I  aui  chief'    (1   Tim.  1:15). 

"Even  the  righteousness  of  God  through  faith  in  Christ 
Jesus  unto  all  them  that  helieve  ;  for  there  is  no  distinction: 
for  all  have  sinned,  and  fall  short  of  the  glory  of  God" 
(Rom.   :;:  22.  23). 

•'I  beseech  yon  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies  of 
Cod,  to  present  y«>ur  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  accept- 
able  to  Cod,   which   is  your  spiritual  service"    (Rom.   12:1). 

"Even  so  let  your  light  shine  before  men;  that  they 
may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father  who  is 
in  heaven"    (Matt,   5 :  16). 

3.  Not  Now:   There  is  Plenty  of  Time  Yet. 

"Therefore  be  ye  also  ready :  for  in  an  hour  that  ye 
think   not   the   Son   of   man    coineth"    (Matt.   24:44). 

"At  an  acceptable  time  1  hearkened  unto  thee,  And  in 
B  day  of  salvation  did  I  succor  thee:  behold,  now  is  the 
acceptable  time;  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation"  (2 
Cor.    ti  :  2). 

••('nine  now,  ye  that  say,  To-day  or  to-morrow  we  will 
go  into  this  city,  and  spend  a  year  there,  and  trade,  and 
get  gain  :  whereas  ye  know  not  what  shall  be  on  the  mor- 
row. What  is  your  life?  For  ye  are  a  vapor  that  appear- 
eth  for  a  little  time,  and  then  vanisheth  away"  (Jas.  4  : 
13,    14). 

"But  seek  ye  first  his  kindom  and  his  righteousness; 
and  all  these  tilings  shall  be  added  unto  you"  (Matt.  6:33). 
"And  1  will  say  to  my  soul.  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods 
laid  up  for  many  years  ;  take  thine  ease,  eat.  drink,  be 
merry.  But  Cod  said  unto  him.  Thou  foolish  one,  this  night 
is  thy  soul  required  of  thee;  and  the  things  which  thou 
hast  prepared,  whose  shall  they  be?"   (Luke  12:  19,  20). 

4.  I  Do  Not  Know  How  to  Become  a  Christian. 

"Believe  on  the  Txird  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be 
saved"  (Act9  16:31). 

"Repent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  remission  of  your  sins"  (Acts 
2:  38). 

"Every  one  therefore  who  shall  confess  me  before  men, 
him  will  I  also  confess  before  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven" 
(Matt.   10:  32). 

"He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved ;  but 
he  that  dlsbelleveth  shall   be  condemned"    (Mark  lti :  16). 

5.  I  Do  Not  Think  it  Necessary  to  Confess  Christ. 

"If  thou   shalt  confess   with   thy   mouth  Jesus  as  Lord, 


WINNING    MEN  131 

and  shalt  believe  in  thy  heart  that  God  raised  him  from 
the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved  :  for  with  the  heart  man  be- 
lieveth  unto  righteousness;  and  with  the  mouth  confession 
is  made  unto  salvation"   (Rom.  10:9,  10). 

6.  Perhaps  1  Am  Not  One  of  the  Elect. 

"And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come.  And  he  that 
heareth,  let  him  say,  Come.  And  he  that  is  athirst,  let 
him  come  :  he  that  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life 
freely"    (Rev.  22  :  17). 

"He  that  helieveth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved ;  but 
he  that  disbelievetb.  shall  be  condemned"    (Mark  10:16). 

"This  is  good  and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God  our 
Saviour  ;  who  would  have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  come  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth"    (1   Tim.  2:3,  4). 

7.  The  Future  Does  Not  Concern  Me. 

"And  inasmuch  as  it  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die, 
and  after  this  cometh  judgment"    (Ileb.  9:27). 

8.  I  Am  as  Good  as  Some  Folks  who  arc  in  the 

Church. 

"So  then  each  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of  himself  to 
God"    (Rom.   14  :  12). 

9.  It  is  Too  Great  a  Cross  to  he  Baptized. 

"For  what  doth  it  profit  a  man,  to  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  forfeit  his  life  ?  For  what  should  a  man  give  in 
exchange  for  his  life?"    (Mark  8:30.  37). 

"There  is  no  man  that  hath  left  house,  or  wife,  or 
brethren,  or  parents,  or  children,  for  the  kingdom  of  God's 
sake,  who  shall  not  receive  manifold  more  in  this  time,  and 
in  the  world  to  come  eternal  life"    (Luke  18:29,  30). 

"For  whosoever  would  save  his  life  shall  lose  it:  and 
whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it" 
(Matt.  16:  25). 

10.  My  Business  Does  Not  Make  it  Possible  for 

Me  to  Be  a  Christian. 

"And  every  one  thai  hath  left  houses,  or  brethren,  or 
sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my 
name's  sake,  shall  receive  a  hundredfold,  and  shall  inherit 
eternal  life"    (Matt.  1!>  :  29). 

11.  I  Can  Not  Give  Up  All. 

"If  any  man  would  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself, 
and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me.     For  whosoever  would 


132  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

save  his  life  shall  lose  it  :  and  whosoever  shall  lose  his 
life  for  iny  sake  shall  tind  it.  For  what  shall  a  man  be 
profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  forfeit  his 
life?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  life?" 
(Matt.    16:  24-26). 

12.  I  Do  Not  Like  that  Preacher  of  Yours. 

"Your  faith  should  not  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  men,  but 
in  the  power  of  God"    (1   Cor.   2:5). 

13.  I  Know  I  Ought  to,  But— 

"To  him  therefore  that  knoweth  to  do  good,  and  doeth 
it  not,  to  him  it  is  siu"    <  Jas.  4:  17). 

14.  I  Am  Afraid  I  Can  Not  Hold  Out. 

"Who  by  the  power  of  God  are  guarded  through  faith 
unto  salvation  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time"  (1 
Pet.   1:5). 

15.  I  Do  Not  Know  Which  Church  to  Join. 

"And  I  also  say  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  and 
upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church  ;  and  the  gates  of 
Hades  shall    not    prevail  against   it"    (Matt.    16:  IS). 

"And  the  Liord  added  to  them  day  by  day  those  that 
were  saved"   (Acts  2:47). 

16.  I  Do  Not  Know  How  to  be  Baptized.  Some 
Polks  Say  One  Thing  and  Some  Another. 

"We  were  buried  therefore  with  him  through  baptism 
into  death  :  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  from  the  dead 
through  the  glory  of  the  Father,  so  we  also  might  walk  in 
newness  of  life"   (Rom.  8:  4). 

"And  he  commanded  the  chariot  to  stand  still  :  and  they 
both  went  down  into  the  water,  both  Philip  and  the  eunuch  ;. 
and  he  baptized  him"   (Acts  8:  38). 

"And  Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized,  went  up  straightway 
from  the  water  :  and  lo,  the  heavens  were  opened  unto  him. 
and  he  saw  the  Spirit  of  God  descending  as  a  dove,  and 
coming  upon  him"   (Matt.  ">  :  16). 

"Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations, 
baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son 
and  of  the  Holy  Spirit:  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  I  commanded  you  :  and  lo.  1  am  with  you  al- 
ways,  even   unto  the  end  of  the  world"    (Matt.   28:  19,   20). 

17.  The  World  Pays  Better  Wages  than  Christ. 

"And  they  that  are  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of 


WINNING    MEN  133 

the   firmament;    and    they    that    turn    many    to    righteousness 
as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever"    (Dan.  12  :.*'»). 

"For  whosc:ver  would  save  his  life  shall  lose  it;  and 
whosoever  shall  los:2  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it" 
(Matt.  16::-../).  Sec  also  Matt.  1!) :  20  ;  Rom.  1:10;  Luke 
18  :  29,   30. 

10.    I    Do    -Wi   Think    it    Necessary    to    Observe 

tho  iiord'u  Supper  Every  Sunday. 

"A-vl  upon,  the  first  day  of  the  week,  when  we  were  gath- 
ered together  to  break  bread,  Paul  discoursed  with  them,  in- 
tending to  depart  on  the  morrow"    (Acts  20:  7). 

"For  as  often  as  ve  oat  this  bread,  and  drink  the  cup,  ye 
proclaim  the  Lord's  death  till  he  come"   d  Cor.  11:26). 

TOPICS    FOR    HOME   STUDY    AND    CLASS    DIS- 
CUSSION 

Assign  each  one  of  the  eighteen  excuses  just  given 
to  the  different  members  of  your  class  to  report  on 
when  this  lesson  is  under  discussion.  Where  the 
class  is  large,  give  two  or  more  people  the  same  ex- 
cuse. 

RAPID-FIRE  DRILL 

See  Questions  174  to  191,  inclusive,  in  the  back  o£ 
this  book. 

BLACKBOARD    OUTLINE 


I.     FOUR   CLASSES. 

1.  The  anxious.  3.'  The  deeply  sinful. 

2.  The  unwilling.  4.  The  indifferent. 

II.    EXCUSES   CONSIDERED. 

1.  Too  great  sinner.  10.  My  business  prevents, 

2.  Good  enough.  11.  Too  hard. 

3.  Not  now.  12.   Unpopular  preacher. 

4.  Don't  know  how.  13.   I  ought  to,  but— 

5.  Confession  unnecessary.  14.   Can  not  hold  out. 

0.   Not  one  of  the  elect.  Is.  Many  churches  confuses  me. 

7.  Future  uninteresting.  16.  Baptism  confuses  me. 

8.  Black  church-members.  17.   Wages  too  small. 

9.  Baptism  too  bard.  18.  Lord's  Supper  too  often. 


134  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

RAPID-FIRE   DRILL 

QUESTIONS  ON  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  CHURCH. 

1.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word   testament f 

2.  Give  the  fivefold  purpose  of  the  Old  Testament. 

3.  Name   the   divisions   of   the   books   of   the   Old 
Testament. 

4.  Give  three  names  for  the  first  five  books  of  the 
Old  Testament. 

5.  Name  the   divisions  of  the   books   of  the  New 
Testament. 

G.  What  are  the  books  of  Biography  often  called? 

7.  What  are  the  first  three  Gospels  called? 

8.  Of  what  does  the  Book  of  Acts  tell? 

9.  Why  does  John  say  that  he  wrote  his  Gospel? 

10.  What   does   Paul   say   in   Gal.   3:  24    about   the 
relation  of  the  law  and  the  gospel? 

11.  What  is  the  Book  of  Revelation  called? 

12.  Name  five  methods  of  studying  the  Bible. 

13.  Who   wrote   the  first   book   of   the   New  Testa- 
ment? 

14.  Give  another  name  for  the  writer  of  the  first 
Gospel. 

15.  What  was  the  name  of  the  apostle  chosen  to 
take  the  place  of   Judas? 

16.  What  was  Matthew's  occupation? 

17.  In  what    language   was  Matthew's  Gospel  most 
probably  first  written? 

18.  In  what  language  was  Matthew's  Gospel  after- 
wards written,  or  translated? 

19.  For  what  people  was  Matthew's  Gospel  written? 


QUESTIONS  135 

20.  What  main  purpose  did  Matthew  have  in  mind 
in  writing  his  Gospel? 

21.  Give  two  reasons  for  believing  that  Matthew's 
Gospel  was  written  for  the  Jews. 

22.  About  how  many  quotations  does  Matthew 
make  from  the  Old  Testament  prophecy  as  fulfilled 
in  Jesus? 

23.  What  Gospel  writer  gives  the  longest  account 
of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount? 

24.  Why  does  Matthew  give  such  a  detailed  account 
of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount? 

25.  What  group  of  parables  are  recorded  by  Mat- 
thew? 

2G.  Name  the  parables  of  the  Judgment. 

27.  Give  Peter's  confession  as  recorded  by  Mat- 
thew. 

28.  Where  is  Peter's  confession  found? 

29.  Give  three  divisions  of   Matthew's  Gospel. 

30.  Name  two  characteristics  of  Matthew's  Gospel. 

31.  Who  wrote  the  second  book  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment? 

32.  What  was  Mark's  Jewish  name? 

33.  What   was  Mark's  Gentile  name? 

34.  With  what  two  apostles  was  the  writer  of  the 
second    Gospel    intimately    associated? 

35.  What  does  the  Latin  word  Marcus  mean? 
3G.  What  was  Mark's  nationality? 

37.  What  was   Mark's   mother's  name? 

38.  In  what  city  did  Mark's  mother  live? 

39.  Whom  does  Peter  call  his  "son  in  the  gospel"? 

40.  Why  is  Mark's  Gospel  sometimes  called  the 
"Petrine"  Gospel? 


136  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

41.  Name   two  of   Paul's  traveling  companions  on 
his  first  missionary  journey. 

42.  In   what  city    did   John   Mark   leave   Paul   and 
Barnabas  and   return   to  Jerusalem? 

43.  In  what  province  of  Asia  Minor  is  Perga? 

44.  What   was   the    result   of   Mark's    desertion    of 
Paul  and  Barnabas? 

45.  How  do  we  know  that  John  Mark  again  found 
favor  with  Paul? 

46.  What  is   the   shortest  Gospel   from   the   stand- 
point of  space  occupied? 

47.  To  what  people  was  Mark's  Gospel  written? 

48.  Give  two  reasons  for  thinking  that  Mark's  Gos- 
pel was  written  to  the  Gentiles? 

49.  How  much  of  Mark's   Gospel  is  common  mat- 
ter  with  the   other   Gospel    writers? 

50.  Name  five  characteristics  of  Mark's  Gospel. 

51.  Who  wrote  the  third  book  of  the  New   Testa- 
ment? 

52.  Of  what  apostle  was  Luke  a  faithful  compan- 
ion? 

53.  How  many  times  is  Luke  mentioned  by  name 
in  the  New  Testament? 

54.  According  to  early  tradition,  of  what  place  was 
Luke  a  native? 

55.  What  was  Luke's  profession? 

56.  What   was   Luke's  nationality? 

57.  Why  do  we  think  Luke  was  a  Gentile? 

58.  How  can  we  tell  when  Luke  was  with  Paul  on 
his  journeys? 

59.  Why    is    Luke's    Gospel    sometimes    called    the 
Pauline  Gospel? 


QUESTIONS  137 

60.  Why  is  Luke's  Gospel  sometimes  called  the  Sa- 
maritan Gospel? 

61.  What  ministry  does  Luke  emphasize? 

62.  Why    is    Luke's    Gospel    called    the    Gospel    of 
Prayer? 

63.  Give  five  characteristics  of  Luke's  Gospel. 

64.  Name  five  miracles  peculiar  to  Luke. 

65.  Name  five  parables  peculiar  to  Luke. 

66.  Where  does  Luke  first  join  Paul? 

67.  When  does  Luke  first  join  Paul? 

68.  Who  is  the  writer  of  the  fourth  Gospel? 

69.  Name  and   designate  three  Johns  in  the  New 
Testament. 

70.  Name  the  Gospel  writers  who  were  apostles. 

71.  Name  two  apostles  who  were  close  companions 
of  John. 

72.  Name  three  occasions  when  Peter,  James  and 
John  were  given  special  privileges. 

73.  What  two  men  were  called  "sons  of  thunder?" 

74.  Name   the   five   books   in   the   New   Testament 
written  by  John  the  apostle. 

75.  Name  the  synoptic  Gospels. 

76.  Why  are  these  Gospels  called  synoptics? 

77.  What  ministry  of  Christ  does  John  emphasize? 

78.  What   does  Clement  of  Alexandria  call  John's 
Gospel? 

79.  Make  one  comparison  of  the  four  Gospels. 

80.  Give  one  reason  why  John  emphasizes  Christ's 
Judean  ministry. 

81.  What  Gospel  writer  alone  records  Christ's  first 
miracle? 


138  THi:    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

82.  What  Gospel  writer  alone  gives  Christ's  first 
recorded  discourse' 

83.  What  Gospel  writer  represents  Christ  as  the 
Good    Shepherd? 

84.  What  Gospel  writer  alone  records  Christ's  dis- 
course on  the  bread  of  life? 

85.  Name    five   characteristics    of   John's    Gospel. 

86.  What  were  the  two  sources  of  information 
Luke  had  in  writing  the  Book  of  Acts? 

87.  Give  four    divisions    of  the   Book    of  Acts. 

88.  What  is  the  purpose  of  the  Book  of  Acts? 

89.  Around  what  two  great  men  does  much  of  the 
history  of  the  Book  of  Acts  hinge? 

90.  Name  five  characteristics  of  the  Book  of  Acts. 

91.  Name  four  notable  conversions  recorded  in  the 
Book  of  Acts. 

92.  How  many  people  became  Christians  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost  following  the  resurrection? 

93.  Give  Ihree  names  used  in  the  Scriptures  for 
the  followers  of  Christ. 

94.  What   does   the   word    disciple   mean? 

95.  Quote  a  passage  of  Scripture  in  which  the  fol- 
lowers of  Christ  are  called  disciples. 

96.  What  is  the  significance  of  the  word   brethren* 

97.  Quote  the  passage  of  Scripture  in  which  the 
word  brethren  is  used  to  designate  the  followers  of 
Christ. 

98.  From    what   is   the  term   Christian   derived? 

99.  Quote  a  passage  in  the  Scriptures  where  the 
disciples   of   Christ    were  called    Christians. 

100.  What  does  the  word  church  mean? 


QUESTIONS  139 

101.  Give  three  names  used  in  the  Scriptures  for 
the  organization  of  Christ's  followers. 

102.  Quote  a  passage  of  Scripture  where  the  church 
is  called  the  "church  of  Christ." 

103.  Quote  a  passage  of  Scripture  where  the  church 
is  called  the  "church  of  God." 

104.  Quote  a  passage  of  Scripture  where  the  churcn 
is  called  the  "church  of  the  Lord." 

105.  Quote  a  verse  of  Scripture  where  Christ  calls 
the  church  "ray  church." 

106.  Quote  a  verse  of  Scripture  where  it  says  that 
believers  are  to  be  baptized   in  Christ's  name. 

107.  Give  two  reasons  why  it  is  better  to  wear  no 
other  names  than  those  in  the  Scriptures,  both  for 
the  church  and  for  the  individual  members  of  the 
church. 

108.  From  what  is  the  word  creed  derived? 

109.  Why  is  the  question  of  creed  very  important? 

110.  What  is  the  creed  of  the  New  Testament 
church? 

111.  Give  Peter's  statement  of  that  creed. 

112.  Name  eight  elements  of  the  creed  of  the  New 
Testament  church. 

113.  What   does   the   word   convert  mean? 

114.  How  may  a  person  know  when  he  is  con- 
verted? 

115.  If  a  person  does  not  believe  in  the  divinity  of 
Christ,  what  would  be  the  first  thing  you  would  tell 
him  to  do  in  order  that  he  might  become  a  Chris- 
tian9 

110.  Quote  Acts  lfl:  31. 

117.  If  a  person  already  believes  in  Christ,  what 


140  THE    HEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

would  be  the   aexl    thing  you  would  tell  him  to  do 
in  order  to  become  a  Christian. 

118.  Quote  Ads  2':  38. 

119.  If  a  person  already  believes  in  Christ  and  has 
repented,  what   would  you  tell  him  to  do? 

120.  Quote  Rom.  10:  9. 

121.  If  a  person  already  believes  in  Christ,  has  re- 
pented of  his  sins,  has  confessed  him  before  men. 
what  is  the  next  thing  that  he  must  do  to  become 
a  Christian? 

122.  Quote  Acts  22:  1G. 

123.  Name  two  ordinances  observed  in  the  New 
Testament  church. 

124.  What   does   the   Greek   word    baptizo   mean? 

125.  What  are  the  prerequisites  of  baptism? 

126.  Quote  and  locate  a  passage  of  Scripture  show- 
ing that  faith  is  a  prerequisite  of  baptism. 

127.  Quote  and  locate  a  verse  of  Scripture  showing 
that  repentance  is  a  prerequisite  of  baptism. 

128.  Quote  and  locate  a  passage  of  Scripture  show- 
ing the  necessity  of  confession. 

129.  Quote  and  locate  a  verse  of  Scripture  showing 
the  purpose  of  faith,  repentance  and  baptism. 

130.  Quote  and  locate  a  passage  of  Scripture  giving 
authority  for  infant  baptism. 

131.  Describe  Christ's  baptism  as  given  by  Matthew. 

132.  Describe  in  the  words  of  Scripture  the  bap- 
tism of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch  by  the  evangelist 
Philip. 

133.  In  bis  letter  to  the  Romans,  what  does  Paul 
say  about  baptism  being  a  symbol  of  a  burial  and 
resurrection " 


QUESTIONS  141 

134.  Quote  the  words  of  Christ  where  he  prayed  for 
the  unity   of  all  his  followers. 

135.  Name  at  least  four  events  that  took  place  on 
the  Lord's  Day  that  should  caure  all  Christians  to 
observe  it. 

136.  Why  was  John  baptizing  in  Mnon,  near  Salim? 

137.  Give  four  names  variously  used  in  reference 
to  the  Lord's  Supper. 

138.  Why  is  the  Lord's  Supper  so  called? 

139.  Why  is  the  Lord's  Supper  called  eucharist? 

140.  Why   is  the  Lord's   Supper  called  sacrament? 

141.  Why  is  the  Lord's  Supper  called  communion? 
142'.  What  two  terms  are  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment   in    reference   to    the    Lord's    Supper? 

143.  Locate  a  passage  of  Scripture  in  which  the 
term  Lord's  Supper  is  used. 

144.  Quote  and  locate  a  passage  of  Scripture  in 
which  the  word  communion   is  used. 

145.  Describe  in  the  words  of  Paul  the  observance 
of  the  Lord's   Supper. 

146.  About  how  many  times  is  the  term  Holy  Spirit 
used   in  the   New  Testament? 

147.  Quote  a  verse  in  the  Scripture  where  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  called  a  Comforter. 

148.  Name  three  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

149.  Name  the  two  times  when  the  baptism  with 
the  Holy  Spirit  occurred. 

150.  When  did  the  church  begin? 

151.  Name  two  qualifications  of  an  apostle. 

152.  Quote  and  locate  a  passage  of  Scripture  show- 
ing that  the  special  twelve  whom  Christ  chose  were 
called  apostles. 


142         THE   new    TESTAMENT   CHI  rch 

153.  Describe  in  the  words  of  Paul  the  qualifica- 
tions of  a  deacon. 

154.  Name  two  of  the  most  important  of  the  first 
deacons  of  the  early  church. 

155.  Describe  in  the  words  of  Paul  to  Timothy  the 
qualifications  of  an  elder  or  bishop. 

156.  What  does  Paul  say  in  Rom.  12:  1  about  our 
spiritual    service? 

157.  Quote  and  locate  a  verse  of  Scripture  show- 
ing that  giving  is  reciprocal. 

15S.  Quote  and  locate  a  passage  of  Scripture  show- 
ing that  giving  has  its  heavenly  reward. 

159.  What  comment  did  Christ  make  upon  the 
widow's  mite? 

160.  Quote  and  locate  a  passage  of  Scripture  show- 
ing that  giving  must  be  cheerful. 

161.  Quote  and  locate  a  passage  of  Scripture  show- 
ing that  giving  must  be  liberal. 

162.  Quote  and  locate  a  verse  of  Scripture  showing 
that  giving  must  be  systematic,  universal  and  pro- 
portionate. 

163.  What  is  a  missionary? 

164.  Quote  and  locate  a  passage  of  Scripture  show- 
ing that  the  early  church  had  the  missionary  spirit. 

165.  Where  was  Paul  when  he  heard  the  Mace- 
donian call? 

166.  Describe  this  call   as  given  by  Luke. 

167.  Quote  and  locate  Christ's  missionary  program. 
16$.  What   city  in  Paul's  time  was  the  center  of  a 

most   wonderful    missionary    work'.' 

169.  What  great  missionary  was  sent  out  by  this 
church? 


QUESTIONS  143 

170.  Quote  and  locate  a  verse  of  Scripture  showing 
that  each  one  will  be  judged  according  to  his  works. 

171.  Quote  and  locate  a  passage  of  Scripture  show- 
ing that  each  individual  will  be  held  responsible  to 
God. 

172.  Give  four  reasons  for  desiring  Christian  union. 

173.  Give  six  signs  of  Christian  union. 

174.  Quote  a  Scripture  in  answer  to  the  person  who 
says,  "I  am  too  great  a  sinner.  It  is  too  late  for 
me  to  accept  Christ." 

175.  Quote  a  Scripture  in  answer  to  the  person 
who  says,   "I  am  good  enough." 

176.  Quote  a  verse  in  the  New  Testament  in  an- 
swer to  the  person  who  says,  "Not  now;  there  is 
plenty  of  time  yet." 

177.  Quote  four  Scriptures  in  answer  to  the  person 
who  says,  "I  do  not  know  how  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian." 

178.  Give  a  Scripture  in  answer  to  the  person  wno 
says,  "I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  confess  Christ." 

179.  If,  when  you  were  trying  to  lead  a  man  to 
Christ,  he  would  say,  "Perhaps  I  am  not  one  of  the 
elect,"  what  Scripture  would  you  quote? 

ISO.  What  Scripture  would  you  quote  to  a  person 
who  says,   "The  future   does  not  concern   me"? 

181.  Quote  a  Scripture  in  answer  to  the  person  who 
says,  "I  am  as  good  as  some  folks  that  are  in  the 
church." 

182.  How  would  you  answer  a  person  in  Scripture 
words  who  says,  "It  is  too  great  a  cross  to  be  bap- 
tized"? 

183.  Give  a  Scriptural  reply  to  a  person  who  says, 


Ill  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

"My    business   floes   not  make   it    possible   for  me   to 
be  a  Christian." 

184.  Give  a  Scriptural  answer  to  a  person  who  says, 
"I  can  not  give  up  all." 

185.  What  Scriptural  answer  would  you  give  to 
one  who  says,  "I  do  not  like  that  preacher  of  yours"? 

186.  Quote  a  verse  of  Scripture  in  answer  to  tho 
person  who  says,  "I  know  I  ought  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian,  but — " 

187.  What  verse  of  Scripture  would  you  use  to  one 
who  says,   "I    am  afraid   1  can  not  hold   out"? 

188.  What  Scriptural  answer  would  you  give  to  that 
person  who  says,  "I  do  not  know  which  church  t'j 
join"? 

189.  Give  an  appropriate  Scripture  quotation  for 
the  one  who  says,  "I  do  not  know  how  to  be  baptized. 
Some  folks   say   one   thing  and  some  another." 

190.  What  Scriptural  answer  would  you  give  to 
the  person  who  says,  "The  world  pays  better  wages 
than   Christ"? 

191.  Quote  a  verse  of  Scripture  in  reply  to  one 
who  says,  "I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  observe  the 
Lord's   Supper  every    Sunday." 

192.  Give  the  great  commission  as  recorded  by 
Matthew. 

193.  Give  the  "Good  Company"  Psalm. 

i:u.  Name  the  four  great  institutions  of  worship  in 
the  Old  Testament. 

195.  Name  the  three  parts  of  the  tabernacle. 

196.  What   furnishings  were  in  the  court? 

197.  What  furnishings  were  in  the  Holy  Plate? 

198.  What  was  in  the  Holy  of  Holies? 


QUESTIONS  145 

199.  What  is  the  typical  meaning  of  the  court? 

200.  What  is  the  typical  meaning  of  the  Holy  Place? 

201.  What  is  the  typical    meaning  of   the   Holy  of 
Holies? 

202.  What  is  the   typical    meaning  of  the  Altar  of 
Burnt-offerings? 

20o.  What  is  the  typical  meaning  of  the  Laver? 

204.  What    is    the    typical    meaning   of   the    Golden 
Candlestick? 

205.  What  is  the  typical   meaning  of  the  Table  of 
Showbread? 

206.  What  is  the  typical   meaning  of  the  Altar  of 
Incense? 


146  THE    SEW     TESTAMENT    CHI  RCH 

RAPID-FIRE   DRILL   REPLIES 

ANSWERS  TO   QUESTIONS  ON  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT 
CHURl  II. 

1.  Will  or  covenant. 

2.  (1)  It  is  a  book  of  history.  (2)  It  shows  how 
God  dealt  with  men  in  olden  times.  (3)  It  shows 
how  God  chose  a  people  through  whom  he  might 
teach  the  worship  of  the  one  God,  and  through  whom 
in  the  fullness  of  time  he  might  send  his  Son  to  re- 
deem the  world.  (4)  It  is  the  prophetic  photograph 
of  Christ.  (5)  It  is  the  schoolmaster  that  brings  us 
to  Christ. 

"So  that  the  law  is  become  our  tutor  to  bring  us  unto 
Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith"   (Gal.  3:  -4). 

3.  Law,  History,  Devotion,  Major  Prophets,  Mi- 
nor Prophets. 

4.  Law,  Pentateuch.  Early  History. 

5.  Biography,  History,  Special  Letters,  General 
Letters,  Prophecy. 

6.  Gospels. 

7.  The   "Synoptic  Gospels." 

8.  The  Book  of  Acts  tells  of  the  beginning  of  the 
church  and   how  we  are  to  become  Christians. 

9.  "But  these  are  written,  that  ye  may  believe 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God:  and  that 
believing  ye  may  have  life  in  his  name"  (John  20: 
31). 

10.  "So  that  the  law  is  become  our  tutor  to  bring 
us  unto  Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith." 

11.  Apocalypse. 


ANSWERS  M? 

12.  (1)  Study  the  Bible  as  a  whole.  (2)  Study  tb.3 
Bible  by  books.  (3)  Study  the  Bible  biographically. 
(4)  Study  the  Bible  according  to  institutions  of  wor- 
ship and  service.      (5)    Study  the  Bible  devotionally. 

13.  Matthew. 

14.  Levi. 

15.  Matthias. 

16.  Tax-gatherer. 

17.  Hebrew. 

18.  Greek. 

19.  The  Jews. 

20.  To  set  forth   the   Messiahship   of  Jesus. 

21.  (1)  He  traces  the  genealogy  of  Christ  from 
Abraham  and  David.  (2')  He  quotes  often  from  the 
Old  Testament. 

22.  Sixty. 

23.  Matthew. 

24.  He  desired  to  show  how  the  law  was  fulfilled 
in  Christ's  gospel.  Matthew  throughout  emphasizes 
the  words  of  Jesus  rather  than  his  works. 

25.  The  parables  of  the  Judgment. 

26.  The  Tares;  the  Dragnet;  Ten  Virgins;  the 
Talents;   and  the  Rejection  of  the  Goats. 

27.  "Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
Sod." 

28.  Matt.  16:  16. 

29.  (1)  Genealogy  of  Christ  (1:1-4:16);  (2)  the 
active  ministry  of  Christ  (4:  17-16:  20);  (3)  closing 
avents  of  Christ's  life    (16:  21-28:  20). 

30.  (1)  Written  for  the  Jews.  t2)  Filled  with 
Old  Testament  quotations. 


148  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CUIHVH 

31.  John  Mark. 

32.  John. 

33.  Marcus. 

34.  Paul    ami    Peter. 

35.  Hammer. 

36.  Jew. 

37.  Mary. 

38.  Jerusalem. 

39.  John   Mark. 

40.  Mark  was  intimately  associated  with  Peter, 
and  no  doubt  gave  many  things  which  Peter  was  in 
the  habit  of  giving  in  his  discourses. 

41.  Barnabas  and   John   Mark. 

42.  Perga. 

43.  Pamphylia. 

44.  On  his  second  missionary  journey  Paul  refused 
to  take  John  Mark  with  him. 

45.  During  Paul's  second  imprisonment  in  Rome  he 
requested  Timothy  to  bring  John  Mark,  saying  that 
he  was  useful  to  him  for  the  ministry   (2  Tim.  4:  2). 

46.  Mark's. 

47.  The  Gentiles,  and  especially  to  the  Greeks. 

48.  (1)  Mark  scarceh  ever  quotes  from  the  Old 
Testament.  (2)  Mark  adds  explanations  and  trans- 
lations of  words  that  would  be  Intelligible  to  the 
Jews. 

19.  Fully   93    per  cent. 

50.  (1)  Shorter.  (-1  Does  not  use  prophecy.  (3) 
Descriptions  are  mosi  vivid.  (4)  Emphasizes  Christ 
as  the  Master  man  of  the  living  present.  (5)  Writ- 
ten to  prove  the  divinity  rather  than  the  Messiah- 
ship  of  Jesus. 


ANSWERS  149 

51.  Luke. 

52.  Paul. 

53.  Three. 

54.  Antioch  in  Syria. 

55.  Physician. 

56.  He  was  a  Gentile,  most,  likely  Greek. 

57.  We  gather  this  from  the  distinction  drawn 
between  him  and  those  "of  the  circumcision"  (Col. 
4:  11-14). 

58.  By  the  use  of  the  word  "we"  in  his  narrative. 

59.  Because  it  was  written  by  one  who  was  a  very 
close  companion   of  Paul. 

60.  Because  it  is  the  only  one  that  records  the 
parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan. 

61.  The   Perean   ministry. 

62.  Because  Luke  alone  preserves  to  us  the  fact 
that  our  Lord  was  praying:  (1)  When  he  was  trans- 
figured. (2)  When  the  Holy  Spirit  descended  at  his 
baptism.  (3)  After  cleansing  the  leper.  (4)  Before 
calling  the  twelve.  (5)  On  the  cross  for  the  mur- 
derers.     (6)    With  his  last  breath. 

63.  (1)  Gospel  of  sympathy.  (2)  Gospel  of  woman- 
hood. (3)  Gospel  of  thanksgiving.  (4)  Gospel  of 
prayer.      (5)    Emphasizes  the  Perean  ministry. 

64.  (1)  Draught  of  fishes.  (2)  Widow's  son  at 
Nain.  (3)  Man  with  Dropsy.  (4)  Ten  lepers.  (5) 
Malchus. 

65.  (1)  Good  Samaritan.  (2)  Rich  Fool.  (3) 
Prodigal  Son.  (4)  Dives  and  Lazarus.  (5)  Pharisee 
and  Publican. 

66.  At  Troas. 

67.  On  his  second  missionary  journey. 


150  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

68.  John  the  apostle. 

69.  (1)  John  the  Baptist.  (2)  John  the  apostle. 
(3)   John  Mark,  the  writer  of  the  second  Gospel. 

70.  Matthew  and  John. 
•   71.  Peter  and  James. 

72.  (1)  At  the  raising  of  Jairus'  daughter;  (2)  at 
the  transfiguration;    (3)  in  the  agony  in  Gethsemane. 

73.  John  and  James. 

74.  John,  1  John,  2  John,  3  John  and  Revelation. 

75.  Matthew,  Mark  and  Luke. 

76.  Because  they  to  a  large  extent  "take  the  same 
view  of  Christ." 

77.  His  Judean  ministry. 

78.  The  spiritual  gospel. 

79.  Matthew  represents  Jesus  as  the  Wonderful 
Counsellor;  Mark,  as  the  almighty  God;  Luke,  as  the 
everlasting  Father;  John,  the  Prince  of  Peace  (Isa. 
9:  6). 

80.  Because  it  is  not  emphasized  by  the  other  Gos- 
pel writers. 

81.  John  (2:  1-12). 

82.  John    (3:  1-21). 

83.  John   (10:  1-21). 

84.  John    (6:  22-7:  1). 

85.  (1)  It  differs  widely  from  the  other  Gospels. 
(2)  Chronological.  (3)  Emphasizes  the  Judean  min- 
istry. (4)  The  Gospel  of  Symbolism.  (5)  Spiritual 
Gospel. 

86.  (1)  Personal  observation  concerning  many 
things.  (2)  Paul,  Philip  the  evangelist,  Peter  and 
James,  the  Lord's  brother,  and  others. 

87.  (1)  Church  in  Jerusalem.     (2)  Church  in  Trail- 


ANSWERS  151 

sition.      (3)    Paul's  Preaching  Tours.     (4)    Paul's  Im- 
prisonment Work. 

*8S.  To  tell  of  the  early  history  of  the  church,  and 
how  men  of  all  classes  and  conditions  were  won  to 
Christ. 

89.  Peter  and  Paul. 

90.  (1)  Continuation  of  the  Gospel  according  to 
Luke.  (2)  Gospel  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  (3)  Book  of 
Conversions.  (4)  Christianity  spoken  of  as  "The 
Way."     (5)   The  book  hinges  around  Peter  and  Paul. 

91.  (1)  Ethiopian  eunuch.  (2)  Paul.  (3)  Cor- 
nelius.    (4)  Philippian  jailer. 

92.  Three  thousand. 

93.  Disciples,  brethren  and  Christians. 

94.  Learner.  It  carries  with  it  the  idea  of  the 
learner  who  follows  his  teacher. 

95.  "If  any  man  cometh  unto  me,  and  hateth  not 
his  own  father,  and  mother,  and  wife,  and  children, 
and  brethren,  and  sisters,  yea,  and  his  own  life  also, 
he  cannot  be  my  disciple"    (Luke   14:  26). 

96.  This  term  has  reference  to  the  fraternal  re- 
lationship among  the  disciples. 

97.  "For  one  is  your  teacher,  and  all  ye  are  breth- 
ren"   (Matt.  23:  8). 

98.  The  term  Christian  is  derived  from  the  word 
Christ. 

99.  "The  disciples  were  called  Christians  first  in 
Antioch"   (Acts  11:  26). 

100.  The  word  church  means  "called  out"  with 
"from   the  world"  implied. 

101.  (1)  Church  of  Christ.  (2)  Church  of  God. 
(3)  Church  of  the  Lord. 


152  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

102.  "All  the  churches  of  Christ  salute  you"  (Rom. 
16:  16). 

103.  "Unto  the  church  of  God  which  is  at  Corinth" 
(1  Cor.  1:2). 

104.  "The  Holy  Spirit  hath  made  you  bishops  to 
feed  the  church  of  the  Lord  which  he  purchased  with 
his  own  blood"    (Acts  20:  28). 

105.  "I  also  say  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  and 
upon  this  rock  will  I  build  my  church"  (Matt.  16:  18). 

106.  "Repent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every«one  of  you 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  remission  of 
your  sins"   (Acts  2:  38). 

107.  Party  names  (1)  create;  (2)  perpetuate  di- 
visions in  the  church. 

108.  The  word  creed  comes  from  the  Latin  word 
credo — "I  believe.'" 

109.  The  creed  dominates  the  life. 

110.  Jesus. 

111.  "Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God"   (Matt.  16:  16). 

il2.  (1)  Simple.  (2)  Profound.  (3)  Comprehen- 
sive. (4)  Divine.  (5)  Pattern.  (6)  Capable  of 
bringing  out  our  best.      (7)    Universal.      (8)   Perfect. 

113.  To  turn  again.  It  is  almost  equivalent  to 
our  expression  right  about  face. 

114.  If  he  has  done  what  Christ  has  asked  him  to 
do  in  order  to  become  a  Christian,  he  is  converted. 

115.  Believe.      (Acts    Hi:  31.) 

116.  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  thou  shalt 
be  saved,  thou  and  all   thy  house." 

117.  Repent.      (Acts  2:  38.) 

118.  "Repent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you 


ANSWERS  158 

in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  remission  of 
your  sins;  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit." 

119.  Confess.     (Rom.  10:  9.) 

120.  "If  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  Jesus 
as  Lord,  and  shalt  believe  in  thy  heart  that  God 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved." 

121.  Be  baptized.     (Acts  22:  16.) 

122.  "Arise,  and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy 
sins,  calling  on  his  name." 

123.  (1)    Baptism.      (2)    Lord's  Supper. 

124.  To  immerse,  submerge,  to  dip. 

125.  Faith  and  repentance. 

126.  "He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved" 
(Mark  16:  16). 

127.  "Repent  ye,   and  be  baptized"    (Acts   2:38). 

128.  "Every  one  therefore  who  shall  confess  me  before 
men,  him  will  I  also  confess  before  my  Father  who  is  in 
heaven"    (Matt.   10  :  32). 

129.  "Repent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  remission  of  your  sins  ;  and  ye 
shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit"   (Acts  2:  38). 

130.  There  is  none. 

131.  "Then  cometh  Jesus  from  Galilee  to  the  Jordan  unto 
John,  to  be  baptized  of  him.  But  John  would  have  hindered 
him,  saying,  I  have  need  to  be  baptized  of  thee,  and  comest 
thou  to  me?  But  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him.  Suffer  it 
now:  for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfil  all  righteousness. 
Then  he  suffereth  him.  And  Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized, 
went  up  straightway  from  the  water :  and  lo,  the  heavens 
were  opened  unto  him,  and  he  saw  the  Spirit  of  God  de- 
scending as  a  dove,  and  coming  upon  him  ;  and  lo,  a  voice 
out  of  the  heavens,  saying.  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom 
I  am  well  pleased"   (Matt.  3:13-17). 

132.  "And  as  they  went  on  the  way,  they  came  unto  a 
certain  water  :  and  the  eunuch  saith.  Behold,  here  is  water, 
what  doth  hinder  me  to  be  baptized?  And  he  commanded  the 
chariot  to  stand  still  :  and  they  both  went  down  into  the 
water,  both  Philip  and  the  eunuch;  and  he  baptized  him. 
And  when  they  came  up  out  of  the  water,  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  caught  away  Philip;  and  the  eunuch  saw  him  no  more, 
for  he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing"    (Acts  8:36-39). 

133.  "We  were  buried  therefore  with  him  through  baptism 
into   death:   that   like  as  Christ  was  raised  from   the  dead 


154  THE    NEW    TE8TAMEXT    CHURCH 

through  the  glory  of  the  Father,  so  we  also  might  walk 
in  newness  of  life.  For,  if  we  have  become  united  with  him 
in  the  likeness  of  his  death,  we  shall  be  also  mi  tin-  likeness 
of  his  resurrection"    (Rom.  0:4.  5). 

134.  "Neither  for  these  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  them 
also  that  believe  on  me  through  their  word;  that  they  may 
all  be  one:  even  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  1  in  thee. 
that  they  also  may  be  in  us:  thai  the  world  may  believe 
that   thou   didst   send    me"    (John    17  :  I'd.   21). 

135.  ili  Christ's  resurrection.  (2)  Descent  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  (3)  Beginning  of  the  church.  (4i  The  disciples  met 
together  to  observe  the  Lord's  Supper. 

136.  "And  John  also  was  baptizing  in  /Enon  near  to 
Salim.  because  there  was  much  water  there:  and  they  came 
and    were    baptized"     (John    3  :  23  I . 

137.  (11  Lord's  Supper.  (2)  Eucharist.  (.';>  Sacrament. 
(4)    Communion. 

138.  In   honor  of   him  who   instituted   it. 

130.  The  word   euchariat   means  thanksgiving. 

140.  The  word  sacrament  carries  with  it  an  idea  of  an 
oath    or    pledge. 

141.  Because  the  word  communion  means  fellowship,  in- 
volving   the    two    ideas    of    contributing    and    receiving. 

141'.    Lord's    Supper    and    communion. 
1  13.    1    Cor.    11  :  20. 

144.  "The  cup  of  blessing  which  we  bless,  is  it  not  a 
communion  of  the  blood  of  Christ?  The  bread  which  we 
break,  is  it  not  a  communion  of  the  body  of  Christ  ?"  i  1 
(or.    Id  :  16). 

14.").  "For  I  received  of  the  Lord  that  which  also  1 
delivered  unto  you,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the  night  in 
which  he  was  betrayed  took  bread:  and  when  be  had  given 
thanks,  he  brake  it,  and  said.  This  is  my  body,  which  is 
for  you  :  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me.  In  like  manner 
also*  the  cup.  after  supper,  saying.  This  cup  is  the  new 
covenant  in  my  blood  :  this  do,  as  often  as  ye  drink  it,  in 
remembrance  of  me.  For  as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and 
drink  the  cup.  ye  proclaim  the  Lord's  death  till  he  come. 
Wherefore  whosoever  shall  eat  the  bread  or  drink  the  cup  of 
the  Lord  in  an  unworthy  manner,  shall  be  guilty  of  the 
body  and  the  blood  of  the  Lord.  Rut  let  a  man  prove 
himself,  and  so  let  him  eat  of  the  bread,  and  drink  of  lin- 
eup. For  he  that  eateth  and  drinketb.  eateth  and  drinketh 
judgment  unto  himself,  if  he  discern  not  the  body"  i1 
Cor.    11  :  23-29). 

146.  Not    less    than   sixty  six. 

147.  "But  the  Comforter,  even  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom 
the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach  yon  all 
things,  and  bring  to  your  remembrance  all  that  I  have  said 
unto    \  on"    i John    1  4  :  26  I , 

145.  ili  Baptism  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  (2)  Extraordi- 
nary   gift    of    the    Holy    Spirit    the    apostles    werc    able    to 


ANSWERS  155 

bestow.      (3)    The  ordinary  gift   or   indwelling  of   the   Holj 
Spirit  conditioned  upon  obedience. 

149.  (1)  On  the  day  of  Pentecost  following  the  resur- 
rection (Acts  2:4).  (2)  At  the  household  of  Cornelius 
(Acts   10:  44-46). 

150.  On  the  day  of  Fentecost  following  the   resurrection. 
131.    (1)   Witness  of  the  risen  Saviour.      (2)   Given  mirac- 
ulous power. 

152.  "And  when  it  was  day  he  called  the  disciples  :  and 
he  chose  from  them  twelve,  whom  he  also  named  apostles" 
(Luke  6:  13). 

153.  "For  they  that  have  served  well  as  deacons  gain 
to  themselves  a  good  standing,  and  great  boldness  in  the 
faith  which  is  in  Christ   Jesus"    il   Tim.  8;  13). 

154.  Fhilip  and   Stephen. 

155.  "Faithful  is  the  saying,  If  a  man  seeketh  the  office 
of  a  bishop,  he  desireth  a  good  work.  He  bishop  therefore 
must  be  without  reproach,  the  husband  of  one  wife,  tem- 
perate, sober-minded,  orderly,  given  to  hospitality,  apt  to 
teach ;  no  brawler,  no  striker ;  but  gentle,  not  contentious, 
no  lover  of  money:  one  that  ruleth  well  his  own  house,' 
having  his  children  in  subjection  with  all  gravity:  (hut  if  a 
man  knoweth  not  how  to  rule  his  own  house,  how  shall  he 
take  care  of  the  church  of  God?)  not  a  novice,  lest  being 
puffed  up  he  fall  into  the  condemnation  of  the  devil.  More- 
over he  must  have  good  testimony  from  them  that  are 
without :  lest  he  fall  into  reproach  and  the  snare  of 
the   devil"    (1   Tim.   3  :  1-7). 

156.  "I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies 
of  God.  to  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy, 
acceptable  to   God.   which  is  your  spiritual   service." 

157.  "Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you  :  good  measure, 
pressed  down,  shaken  together,  running  over,  shall  they  give 
into  your  bosom.  For  with  what  measure  ye  mete  it  shall 
be  measured  to  you  again*'    (Luke  6:38). 

158.  "If  thou  wouldest  be  perfect,  go,  sell  that  which 
thou  hast,  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure 
in  heaven"    (Matt.  19:21). 

159.  "This  poor  widow  cast  in  more  than  all  they  that 
are  casting  into  the  treasury :  for  they  all  did  cast  in  of 
their  superfluity  :  but  she  of  her  want  did  cast  in  all  that 
she  had,  even  all   her  living'-    (Mark  12  :  43.  44). 

160.  "Let  each  man  do  according  as  he  hath  purposed 
in  his  heart :  not  grudgingly,  or  of  necessity  :  for  God  loveth 
a  cheerful  giver"   (2  Cor.  9:7). 

161.  "He  that  givetb  let  him  do  it  with  liberality"  (Rom. 
12:  8). 

162.  "Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let  each  one  of  you 
lay  by  him  in  store,  as  he  may  prosper"    (1    >'or.  16:2). 

163.  One  sent   with  a   message  to  another  person. 

164.  "And  they  went  forth,  and  preached  everywhere, 
the  Lord  working  with  them,  and  confirming  the  word  by 
signs  that  fallowed"    (Mark  16:20). 


156  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

165.   in  'Proas  on  his  second  missionary  journey. 

ltiii.  "And  a  vision  appeared  to  Paul  in  the  night  :  There 
was  a  man  of  Macedonia  standing,  beseeching  him,  and  say 
Ing,   Come  over  Into   Macedonia^  and   help  us"    (Acta   16:0). 

167.  "Bui  ye  shall  receive  power,  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  come  upon  you  :  and  ye  shall  lie  my  witnesses  both  in 
Jerusalem,  and  In  all  Judea  and  Samaria,  and  unto  the 
uttermost   parts  of  Hie   earth"    (Acts   1:8). 

168.  Antiocb  in  Syria. 
1(39.  Paul. 

170.  "And  1  saw  the  dead,  the  meat  and  the  small,  stand 
ing  before  the  throne;  and  books  were  opened:  and  another 
book  was  opened,  which  is  the  hook  of  life:  and  the  dead 
were  judged  out  of  the- things  which  were  written  in  the 
books,  according  to  their  works"    (Rev.  20:  12). 

171.  "So  then  ear',,  one  Of  us  shall  give  account  of  him- 
self to  God"    (  Rom.    14  :  1U». 

172.  (1)  Local  expense  too  great.  {-)  Administrative  ex- 
pense lor  world-wide  work  too  great.  (:!)  A  divided  church 
can  not  save  the  world.  (4)  We  are  misdirecting  our  vital 
forces. 

17:5.  (1)  Decline  of  denominationalism.  (2)  Masses  are 
demanding  it.  (3)  Bible  study  spreading.  <4i  Creeds  are 
passing  into  disuse.  (To  Geographical  harriers  have  been 
removed,      (tii    International   interdenominational   movements. 

174.  "For  the  Sou  of  man  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was   lost"    tl.uke   19:10). 

175.  "Even  the  righteousness  of  God  through  faith  in 
Christ  .lesus  unto  ..II  them  that  believe:  for  there  is  no  dis- 
tinction; for  all  have  sinned,  and  fall  short  of  the  glory  Of 
i  Hid"   (  Rom.  ■"  :  22,  23  i. 

176.  "Therefore  In  ye  also  ready:  for  in  an  hour  that  ye 
think    not    the    Son    of   man   cometh"    (.Matt.    24:44). 

177.  "Believt  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shall 
he  saved"   <  Acts   16  :  ::i ). 

"Repent  ye.  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Chrisl  unto  the  remission  (.i'  your  sin's"   (Acts  2:38). 

"Every  one  therefore  who  shall  confess  me  before  men. 
him  will  I  also  confess  before  my  Cat  her  who  is  in  heaven" 
(Matt,    in  :  32). 

"lie  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall  he  saved  :  lint 
he  thai  disbelieveth  shall  be  condemned"   (Mark   16:  16). 

ITS.  "If  thou  shall  confess  with  thy  mouth  Jesus  08  Lord. 
and  shalt  believe  in  thy  heart  that  God  raised  him  from  the 
dead,  thou  shalt  he  saved  ;  fur  with  the  heart  man  believeth 
unto  righteousness;  and  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made 
unto  salvat  inn"    i  Rom.    10  :  9,    10). 

179.  "'Ibis  is  good  and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God  our 
Saviour:  who  would  have  all  men  to  he  saved,  and  come 
to    the    knowledge   of    the    truth"    il    Tim.    2:3,    4  i. 

LM).  "And  inasmuch  as  it  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to 
die,  and  after  this  cometh  judgment"    (Ueb.  9:27). 


ANSWERS  157 

181.  "So  then  each  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of  him- 
self to   God"    (Rom.   14:12t. 

181*.  "If  any  man  would  come  after  me,  let  him  deny 
himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me.  For  whoso- 
ever would  save  his  life  shall  lose  it  :  and  whosoever  shall 
lose  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it.  For  what  shall  a 
man  be  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  for- 
feit his  life?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his 
life?"    (Matt.    16:  24-26). 

183.  "And  every  one  that  hath  left  houses,  or  brethren, 
or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  children,  or  lands,  for 
my  name's  sake,  shall  receive  a  hundredfold,  and  shall 
inherit  eternal  life"   (Matt.   19:29). 

184.  "There  is  no  man  that  hath  left  house,  or  wife,  or 
brethren,  or  parents,  or  children,  for  the  kingdom  of  God's 
sake,  who  shall  not  receive  manifold  more  in  this  time,  and 
in  the  world  to  come  eternal  life"    d,uke  18:29,  30). 

185.  "Your  faith  should  not  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  men 
but  in  the  power  of  God"   (1  Cor.  2  :  5). 

156.  "To  him  therefore  that  knoweth  to  do  good,  and 
doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is  sin"    (Jas.  4:17). 

157.  "Who  by  the  power  of  God  are  guided  through  faith 
unto  salvation  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time"  (1  Pet. 
1:5). 

188.  "And  the  Lord  added  to  them  day  by  dav  those 
that  were  saved"    (Acts  2  :  47  I. 

189.  "We  were  buried  therefore  with  him  through  bap- 
tism into  death:  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  from  the 
dead  through  the  glory  of  the  Father,  so  we  also  might  walk 
in  newness   of   life"    (Rom.   6:4). 

190.  "And  every  one  that  hath  left  houses,  or  brethren, 
or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  children,  or  lands,  for 
my  name's  sake,  shall  receive  a  hundredfold,  and  shall  in- 
herit eternal  life"    (Matt.   19:29). 

191.  "And  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week,  when  we  were 
gathered  together  to  break  bread,  Paul  discoursed  with  them 
intending  to  depart  on  the  morrow"    (Acts  20:7). 

192.  "Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  na- 
tions, baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of 
the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit :  teaching  them  to  observe 
all  things  whatsoever  I  commanded  you  :  and  lo,  I  am  with 
you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world"  (Matt  28- 
19,  20). 

193.  "Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel 
of  the  wicked. 

Nor   standeth   in    the   way   of   sinners, 

Nor  sitteth  in  the  seat  of  scoffers  : 

But  his  delight  is  in  the  law  of  Jehovah: 

And  on  his  law  doth   he   meditate  day   and  night. 

And  he  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  streams  of  water, 

That  bringeth   forth  its  fruit  in  its  season. 

Whose   leaf   also   doth   not    wither ; 

And   whatsoever  he  doeth   shall   prosper. 


158  THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH 

The  wicked  are  not  so, 

Bui  are  like  the  chafl   which  the  wind  driveth  away. 
Therefore   the  wicked   shall  not   stand   in  the  judgment, 
Nor  sinners  in  the  congregation  of  the  righteous. 
For  Jehovah  knoweth   the  way  of  the  righteous; 
Bui  the  way  of  the  wicked  shall  perish"  il's.  1). 
L94.  Altar,  Tabernacle,  Temple,  Synagogue. 

195.  Court.  Holy  Place,  Holy  of  Holies. 

196.  Altar  of  Burnl  offerings,  Laver. 

r.»7.  Golden    Candlestick,    Table   of   Showbread,   Altar 
Incense. 

1!>S.   Ark  of  the  Covenant. 

199.  World. 

200.  church. 

201.  Heaven. 

-()-.  Christ's   sacrifice. 

203.  Christian    baptism. 

204.  Bible. 

205.  Lord"s  Supper. 

206.  Prayer. 


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